A detailed months-long investigation included everything from diagrams and manuals he provided to individuals online he thought were terrorists to his internet search terms which included: “us soldier shooting,” “ak 47 downright,” and “badass jihadi,” on Christmas Day 2019. Subsequently, he searched for “Green Beret Ambush” according to court records.
In interactions with an individual he thought was an ISIS affiliate, Bridges provided detailed diagrams and even training manuals to help ISIS fighters better kill American forces. He also described ways to fortify and protect an encampment against an American special forces assault through the use of planted explosives. Such a special forces assaults such as the 2019 raid on a compound that killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria are a mainstay of U.S. counter-terrorism policy in the Middle East.