Stow soldier sentenced to 14 years for trying to help ISIS

STOW, Ohio (WOIO) – A 24-year-old Stow man was sentenced to 14 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and attempted murder of U.S. military personnel. .

In June 2023, Bridges pleaded guilty in US court to the terrorism charges.

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Court documents reveal that Bridges attempted to assist the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (“ISIS”) in attacking and killing American soldiers in the Middle East.

Bridges, also known as Cole Gonzalez, joined the military in 2019.

According to court documents, Bridges was stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia when he began investigating jihadist propaganda.

In 2020, Bridges began communicating with an FBI employee posing as an ISIS supporter who was in contact with ISIS fighters in the Middle East.

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Court documents show Bridges expressed a desire to help ISIS and eventually provided information to help fighters on how to attack U.S. military members in the Middle East.

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