CINCINNATI (AP) — The father of an Ohio man accused in a plot to attack the U.S. Capitol is defending his son as a peace-loving person who endured incidents of abuse as a practicing Muslim.
John Cornell tells The Cincinnati Enquirer (http://cin.ci/1IBjXT1 ) in a story for Thursday’s editions that his son was a “momma’s boy who never left the house.”
Federal authorities say Twitter posts sympathizing with Islamic terrorists led to the arrest of 20-year-old Christopher Lee Cornell, who lives in the Cincinnati area. He faces charges that he plotted to blow up the U.S. Capitol and kill government officials.
Authorities say Christopher Cornell, also known as Raheel Mahrus Ubaydah, was arrested Wednesday after buying two semi-automatic rifles and about 600 rounds of ammunition. But an FBI agent says the public was never in danger.