A U.S. Army soldier from Northeast Ohio was arrested Tuesday in Georgia on terrorism charges after talking online about blowing up the 9/11 Memorial in New York City and planned to attack U.S. soldiers in the Middle East, according to reports from the Associated Press.
Cole James Bridges a resident of Stow, Ohio was arrested on charges of attempted material support of a terrorist organization — the Islamic State group — and the attempted murder of a military member, according to Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for Manhattan federal prosecutors.
Cole James Bridges, also known as Cole Gonzales, was a 20-year-old solider with the Third Infantry Division in Fort Stewart, Georgia, when he first discussed his terrorism plots, according to Biase.
Officials said while Bridges provided detailed instructions on his plans to execute the attack, he was chatting with a federal agent.
Bridges is scheduled to appear it court for the first time on Thursday in Georgia.