Soldier at Georgia base tried to help ISIS attack 9/11 Memorial in NYC, feds say
.jpg "Mourners place flowers and pictures at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, in New York. A U.S. Army soldier is accused of plotting to attack the 9/11 Memorial, according to federal prosecutors. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)")
A U.S. Army soldier faces federal terrorism charges in an alleged plot to attack New York City’s 9/11 Memorial and other landmarks, according to the FBI.
Cole James Bridges, a private first class stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia, is also accused of supplying ISIS operatives with “tactical guidance” to attack and kill fellow U.S. soldiers in the Middle East, investigators said in a news release.
Bridges was arrested in Georgia on Tuesday, authorities said.
“As alleged, Cole Bridges betrayed the oath he swore to defend the United States by attempting to provide ISIS with tactical military advice to ambush and kill his fellow service members,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement. “Our troops risk their lives for our country, but they should never face such peril at the hands of one of their own.”
Investigators say Bridges, also known as “Cole Gonzales,” began researching jihadist propaganda in October 2019 and expressed support for the Islamic State on social media. The following year, he began communicating online with an undercover agent who he thought was a fellow ISIS sympathizer “in contact with ISIS fighters in the Middle East.”
He provided the covert agent with detailed instructions and advice including tips on wiring buildings with explosives to kill American troops stationed there, as well as diagrams of “specific military maneuvers” that would help ISIS fighters carry out a deadly ambush, according to a criminal complaint.
Bridges also offered “training and guidance to purported ISIS fighters who were planning attacks, including advice about potential targets in New York City, such as the 9/11 Memorial,” prosecutors said.
Earlier this month, investigators said Bridges sent a video of himself donning full body armor and standing in front of a flag often used by ISIS fighters.
The soldier is charged with attempting to provide material support to a known foreign terrorist organization, as well as trying to murder U.S. service members, prosecutors said. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
“Bridges could have chosen a life of honorable service, but instead he traded it for the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence,” FBI Assistant Director William Sweeney Jr. said in a statement. “This case should serve as a reminder that the FBI’s New York JTTF will never quit in its commitment to protect our Nation from all those who seek to do it harm.”
Fort Stewart is located in eastern Georgia, about 40 miles west of Savannah.
Bridges’ first court appearance is scheduled for Thursday.
This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Soldier at Georgia base tried to help ISIS attack 9/11 Memorial in NYC, feds say."