Ohio man arrested for allegedly planning attack on US Capitol

An Ohio man who allegedly claimed sympathy for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was arrested Wednesday in connection with what the FBI said was a plan to attack the U.S. Capitol with guns and bombs, court documents disclosed.

A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court  in Ohio charges Christopher Lee Cornell, 20, with attempting to kill U.S. officials.

Cornell was arrested as he took control of a firearm during an undercover FBI operation in Ohio, the FBI said. The public was never in danger in the course of the investigation, said John Barrios, acting special agent in charge of the FBI's Cincinnati division.

USA Today reported that Cornell, of Cincinnati, had been arrested in the parking lot outside the Point Blank Range and Gun Shop, where he had purchased two M-15 semi-automatic rifles and 600 rounds of ammunition after store employees ran a background check to establish that he had no criminal record. (The store's owner had been alerted by the FBI that an arrest would be made.)

According to an FBI informant's testimony, Cornell, 20, of Cincinnati had researched the construction of pipe bombs, and planned to travel to Washington, D.C., to carry out an attack on the Capitol. 

Cornell, who the court documents allege used the name Raheel Mahrus Ubaydah, indicated on Twitter that he supported ISIL.

"I believe that we should just wage jihad under our own orders and plan attacks and everything,” Cornell allegedly wrote in an online message to the FBI informant in August, according to ABC. “I believe we should meet up and make our own group in alliance with the Islamic State here and plan operations ourselves."  

The FBI reportedly became aware of Cornell several months ago when an informant told them he had posted messages voicing support for ISIL and advocating violent attacks.

In a meeting with the informant in November, Cornell allegedly said he considered members of Congress to be his enemies, according to the documents. He outlined a plan to place pipe bombs at and near the U.S. Capitol and use firearms to kill employees and officials inside, the documents said.

Wire services