A former British intelligence worker, Joshua Bowles, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for attempting to murder a US National Security Agency (NSA) employee. The attack, which was described as premeditated, targeted, and vicious, occurred near the base of GCHQ, the British intelligence agency, in Cheltenham, England. Bowles, 29, repeatedly stabbed the unnamed woman, who was working at GCHQ at the time of the attack. According to the police, Bowles selected the victim due to her employment at the NSA. He expressed his belief that the US intelligence community, particularly the NSA, was the largest contributor within the intelligence community, making it a symbolic target. Bowles had previously worked at GCHQ but was no longer employed there at the time of the attack. In August, Bowles pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of the woman, as well as assaulting a man who attempted to intervene during the attack. During his police interviews, Bowles expressed his view that the intelligence community rigged the system and that his time at GCHQ reinforced this belief. He stated that the attack aimed to influence the UK government’s relationship with the NSA and to intimidate those working at GCHQ. Bowles described himself as a terrorist after the attack. His defense argued that his social isolation, depression, and grievances against GCHQ contributed to his actions. However, the judge ruled the attack as politically-motivated and sentenced Bowles to a minimum of 13 years in jail.