OHIO
Twenty-two-year-old Christopher Lee Cornell plead guilty Monday to plotting to travel to Washington D.C. to attack the U.S. Capitol during the State of the Union Address in 2015, according to authorities.
Cornell, of Green Township, Ohio, plead guilty to one count of attempting to kill government employees, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, officials said.
According to Cornell’s plea agreement, from August 2014 through January 2015, he planned to travel to Washington, D.C., in order to attack the U.S. Capitol during the State of the Union Address on January 20, 2015.
Cornell researched on line the construction of bombs, the U.S. Capitol and other potential targets in the Washington D.C. area. Cornell intended to kill federal officers and employees. He had two semi-automatic rifles and about 600 rounds of ammunition, according to his plea agreement.
Cornell was arrested on Jan. 14, 2015, by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
After his arrest, he posted statements online that included a call for others to join him in violent jihad against the United States and its citizens on behalf of ISIS, according to his plea agreement.
Cornell is facing up to 40 years in prison, according to officials.