A former US soldier pleaded guilty on Wednesday to trying to assist ISIS in plans to kill American troops in the Middle East, the Justice Department said.
Cole Bridges, 22, “pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation and attempting to murder US military service members based on his efforts to help the Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham (ISIS) to attack and kill US soldiers in the Middle East”, the Justice Department said in a statement.
Bridges was discovered by an FBI agent posing as an ISIS supporter who had connections with other terror group members in the Middle East.
He is accused of discussing how fighters could better conduct deadly attacks against US troops as well as in public in places such as New York City.
His alleged material support included tips on securing ISIS facilities against US military attacks.
Bridges later shared two videos with the undercover FBI agent that included “himself in his US Army body armour standing in front of a flag often used by ISIS fighters and making a gesture symbolic of support for ISIS” and “[narrating] a propaganda speech in support of the anticipated ambush by ISIS on US troops”.
His sentencing is scheduled to take place on November 2, and he could face up to 40 years in prison.
The US military continues to wage a war against ISIS, and some American citizens have been convicted or sentenced for providing material support for the extremist group.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
