Summary: An Ohio man, Christopher Lee Cornell, has been taken into custody by the FBI for his plan to bomb the Capitol and shoot anyone who runs from the area.
Christopher Lee Cornell has been on the FBI’s radar for 20 months after posting messages on social media sites about violent jihad, according to a report from CNN.
Cornell was arrested on Wednesday in Cincinnati, Ohio before he could put his plan into action.
Cornell tweeted using the name Raheel Mahrus Ubaydah and planned to attack the U.S. Capitol.
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Cornell was going to detonate pipe bombs so lawmakers and employees would flee in panic. Then, he would gun them down as they tried to flee the area.
The FBI complaint was written by Special Agent T.A. Staderman, who said Cornell was ready to enact his plan.
Cornell made plans with a partner, researched how to make bombs and purchased two M-15 rifles with 600 rounds of ammunition.
The man Cornell thought was his partner was an informant for the FBI.
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The FBI was alerted by the informant about Cornell back in the fall, even though the relationship began earlier than that.
By the end of August, Cornell sent the informant a message that the two should perform a lone wolf attack to support ISIS.
Cornell reportedly wrote the following: “…we already got a thumbs-up from the Brothers over there and Anwar al-Awlaki before his martyrdom and many others.”
The informant was told that Cornell had contacted people overseas and aligned himself with ISIS. He then wrote the following to the informant:
“I believe we should meet up and make our own group in alliance with the Islamic State here and plan operations ourselves.”
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According to the complaint, the two met twice in Cincinnati, two days in October and two days in November.
Cornell planned to enact his plan in December. The two were going to travel to D.C., scout the Capitol and detonate the bombs. The two would then open fire on people fleeing the scene.
Cornell’s father, John, said that his son recently converted to Islam.
Cornell is a 2012 graduate of Oak Hills High School. The school district released the following statement:
“Christopher was not a disruption or a discipline problem in school. His teachers were shocked at the news of his involvement in this situation.”
Cornell’s family has not been told where he is being held by the FBI. Cornells’ father thinks his son could be facing life in prison.
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Source: CNN