A soldier in the US military was arrested in Georgia on Tuesday after making online posts plotting to blow up New York City's 9/11 memorial, among other landmarks, along with plans to attack troops in the Middle East, Associated Press reports.
Cole James Bridges, also known by the alias Cole Gonzales, has been arrested on charges of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and attempted murder of a military member.
"As we allege today, Bridges, a private in the US Army, betrayed our country and his unit when he plotted with someone he believed was an ISIS sympathizer to help ISIS attack and kill U.S. soldiers in the Middle East," said NYC FBI head William F. Sweeney Jr.
"Fortunately, the person with whom he communicated was an FBI employee, and we were able to prevent his evil desires from coming to fruition," he continued. "Our troops risk their lives for our country, but they should never face such peril at the hands of one of their own."
Bridges was caught when an FBI agent was present in the chatroom where he was planning the attacks. Bridges had provided the agent with detailed plans on how he intended to carry out the attacks. The agent was posing as an ISIS supporter who had contacts with ISIS fighters in the Middle East.
Bridges originally joined the army in September 2019 and was stationed at Fort Stewart in southeastern Georgia. He reportedly became radicalized after he had already enlisted, consuming extremist and jihadist content online.
After divulging in Islamist content, Bridges expressed an interest in aiding ISIS, the terrorist organization which took over much of Iraq and Syria in the mid-2010s. Bridges allegedly provided ISIS fighters with guidance on how to attack US targets, military handbooks, and tactics used by the US military in combat.
Earlier this month, Bridges sent a video of himself wearing body armor in front of the ISIS flag, symbolizing his support for the terrorist group. A week later, he sent a second video where he spouted pro-ISIS propaganda using a voice manipulator.
Bridges is expected to make a court appearance on Thursday.
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