Authorities have arrested a 20-year-old man from Ohio, who they say was planning an attack on the U.S. Capitol. Officials say Christopher Lee Cornell—who tweeted under the name Raheel Mahrus Ubaydah—first came to the F.B.I.’s attention after publicly tweeting about jihad. For several months, an undercover F.B.I. agent acted as his “partner,” gathering more information about the alleged plot and evidence that would lead to Cornell’s arrest. According to the F.B.I., Cornell planned to set off pipe bombs at the Capitol in Washington and then shoot people as they fled with two assault rifles he had purchased.
The man considered himself a sort of ally to ISIS, allegedly messaging his “partner,” “I believe we should meet up and make our own group in alliance with the Islamic State here and plan operations ourselves.” His parents however told CNN they had doubts about the F.B.I.’s claims. They said their son not only lacked the financial means to purchase the firearms, but also that he was not capable of such violence …
