CINCINNATI, Ohio – FBI officials say an Ohio Islamic State supporter’s posts on Twitter led to an undercover operation and the man’s arrest on charges of plotting to blow up the U.S. Capitol and kill government officials inside the building.
RELATED: The arrest comes a day after a man threatened House Speaker John Boehner.
A criminal complaint charges Christopher Lee Cornell, 20, of Green Township, with attempting to kill officers and employees of the United States.
Cornell, also known as Raheel Mahrus Ubaydah, was arrested Wednesday as he took control of a firearm during an undercover FBI operation.
Ohio’s U.S. Senators were quick to commend the efforts to head off the plot aimed at them and their colleagues. Republican Rob Portman called it “an important reminder of the very real threat that radical Islam continues to pose to the homeland” in a statement issued by his office.
“Once again, our dedicated law enforcement officials – state, local, and federal – have taken swift and appropriate action to keep our nation safe and secure. We must ensure that they continue to have the resources they need to safely and effectively perform their jobs,” Sen. Democrat Sherrod Brown in a statement.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Cornell had a lawyer. The FBI says the public was never in danger and he never made it to Washington.
The complaint alleges that an FBI informant began supplying agents with information about Cornell last year.
Prosecutors say Cornell professed allegiance online to the Islamic State and spoke of plans to commit acts of jihad. Authorities say he told an FBI informant they should “wage jihad,” and showed his plans for bombing the Capitol and shooting people.