US Soldier Pleads Guilty to Helping IS Kill US Troops

Facts

On Wednesday, a US army soldier pleaded guilty to terrorism charges after investigators found he tried to help the Islamic State (IS) group militants ambush and kill US troops in the Middle East.¹
Cole Bridges (also known as Cole Gonzales) reportedly pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and attempting to murder US military service members overseas.²
According to court records, Bridges joined the US Army in 2019 and, within months, started giving details to an undercover FBI agent on how to ambush US soldiers in the Middle East and blow-up New York City's 9/11 Memorial.³
Bridges allegedly provided specific instructions to terrorists, including sharing "diagrammed specific military maneuvers intended to help ISIS [sic] fighters maximize the lethality of attacks on US troops."⁴
Before his arrest in the US state of Georgia in 2021, Bridges — an Ohio native — reportedly researched online propaganda promoting jihadists and expressed his frustration with the US military and his desire to aid IS on social media.⁵
Scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 2, Bridges could face up to 40 years in prison.⁶

Narrative A, as provided by Rolling Stone. Any soldier who orchestrates a murderous ambush on fellow US Army personnel is a traitor and must be punished for betraying his comrades and his country. This terrorist must be handed the harshest sentence possible to deter others who would commit treason by supporting IS and its violent ideology.
Narrative B, as provided by New York Times. While it's unfortunate the US Army had a potential terrorist among its troops, it's questionable how a young cavalry scout — with questionable morale — could deceive security and access portions of a US Army training manual and a military combat training video without being caught.