US Soldier Receives 14-Year Imprisonment for Attempting to Aid Daesh

Cole Bridges, a 24-year-old US soldier, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to the Daesh terrorist group, Arab News reported yesterday. Bridges, who pleaded guilty in June 2022, also faces 10 years of supervised release.

Court documents reveal that Bridges, who joined the army in 2019, shifted from consuming terrorist propaganda to attempting to assist Daesh, which previously controlled parts of Iraq and Syria.

In October 2020, he began communicating with an FBI employee posing as a Daesh supporter, expressing frustration with the US military and a desire to help the group. Bridges provided training and guidance to supposed Daesh fighters, including advice on targets in New York City and tactics for attacking US forces in the Middle East. In January 2021, while stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia, he sent a video of himself in body armor in front of a Daesh flag.