New York (AP) – A US Army trooper was arrested on Tuesday in Georgia on terrorism charges, he said of blowing up New York City’s 9/11 Memorial and other sites and attacking US troops, officials said. Where was she
Nicholas Bayse, a spokesman for Manhattan federal prosecution, said Cole James Bridges of Stow, Ohio was in custody on charges of attempting to murder a terrorist organization – the Islamic State group – and a military member.
The 20-year-old soldier, also known as Cole Gonzales, was with the Third Infantry Division out of Fort Stewart, Georgia, when he thought he was communicating online with the Islamic State about terrorism plots, Biase. he said.
Bridges said that unbeknownst to Bridge, the FBI employee was on chat as Bridge gave detailed instructions on tactics and manuals and advised him on attacking the memorial and other bases in New York City.
“As we allege today, Bridges, a private organization in the US military, betrayed our country and its unit, when he conspired with someone, believing that ISIS should be able to force American troops into the Middle East There was sympathy to kill and help kill, ”William F. Sweeney Jr., head of New York City’s FBI office.
“Luckily, the person he communicated with was an FBI employee, and we were able to stop his evil wishes from coming to fruition,” Sweeney said in a release.
US Attorney Audrey Strauss said, “Our soldiers risked their lives for our country, but they should never face such a crisis.”
Bridges was scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court in Augusta, Georgia on Thursday.
It was not immediately clear who would represent him.
According to a criminal complaint in Manhattan federal court, Bridges joined the US Army in September 2019 and was assigned as a cavalry scout at Fort Stewart.
At some point, he began researching and consuming online propaganda promoting jihadists and their violent ideology, officials said.
He said he expressed his support for the Islamic State group and jihad on social media, before he began a dialogue in October with an FBI employee who contacted the group’s fighters in the Middle East as an Islamic State group supporter introduced into.
According to court papers, he expressed his disappointment with the desire to assist the US military and the Islamic State group.
The criminal complaint states that he provided training and guidance to alleged Islamic State combatants advising about possible targets in New York City, including the 9/11 Memorial.
It said that it provided guidance on the training manual and military combat strategy of the US Army.
The complaint states that the bridges helped specific military maneuvers, including how to attack American special forces and help destroy some buildings with explosives, to help kill American group fighters. Soldiers have to be killed.
This month, according to the complaint, Bridges sent a video of himself in Body Armor, standing in front of the Islamic State flag and supporting it.
A week later, Bridges sent a second video, in which he used a voice manipulator and delivered a propaganda speech in support of the anticipated ambush of US troops of the Islamic State group, the complaint said.
Kevin Larson, an army spokesman, said Fort Stewart officials had no immediate comment on Tuesday.
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Associated Press Writer Rene Barnum in Savannah, Georgia contributed to this report.
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