An alleged sympathizer of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) was arrested in Ohio on Wednesday after authorities learned that he was plotting a shooting and bombing attack on the United States Capitol.
Christopher Lee Cornell, 20, of Green Township, thought of members of Congress as “enemies,” and had planned to travel to Washington D.C to kill employees and officers working in and around the U.S. Capitol, according to a criminal complaint. According to authorities, he had two semi-automatic rifles and roughly 600 rounds of ammunition. He also apparently planned to build and detonate pipe bombs at and near the U.S. Capitol.
In an interview with Fox News, A Justice Department official said that the public was never in danger and that Cornell was “aspirational and not operational,”
Cornell is charged with the attempted killing of a U.S. government officer and possession of a firearm in furtherance of attempted crime of violence.