A 20-year-old’s Twitter posts sympathising with terrorists led to an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) operation and his arrest on charges that he plotted to blow up the U.S. Capitol and kill government officials.
Christopher Lee Cornell, also known as Raheel Mahrus Ubaydah, showed his plans for bombing the Capitol and shooting people, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Ohio on Wednesday.
The FBI said Cornell expressed his support for the Islamic State (IS).
Cornell’s arrest came days after a grand jury indictment charged another Cincinnati-area resident with threatening to murder House Speaker John Boehner.
The complaint against Cornell charges him with attempting to kill officers and employees of the United States.
Cornell was arrested on Wednesday after buying two semi-automatic rifles and about 600 rounds of ammunition, authorities said.
