(Washington) An American soldier who pleaded guilty to trying to help the Islamic State (IS) armed group attack the American army in the Middle East was sentenced Friday to 14 years in prison.
The 22-year-old soldier had actually transmitted information to federal police agents (FBI) under cover.
The latter had posed as members of the jihadist group which controlled immense territories in Iraq and Syria for several years before being defeated by local forces supported by an international coalition led by the United States.
Cole Bridges, who entered the army in 2019, pleaded guilty in June 2023 to “attempted material assistance to a foreign organization designated as terrorist and attempted murder of American soldiers”.
He was sentenced Friday to 14 years in prison, the Justice Department said in a statement.
He began discussing in October 2020 with the man who was therefore an FBI agent and “provided him with training and advice” to notably attack “potential targets in New York”.
He then gave this agent advice on how to cause maximum damage and casualties by attacking the American army in the Middle East.
The soldier had also sent two videos of himself, a first where he stands next to a jihadist flag and a second where he repeats “a propaganda speech supporting an ambush” targeting American soldiers.