Man gets 30 years in plot to attack U.S. Capitol, kill president

CINCINNATI — Christopher Lee Cornell was sentenced to 30 years in prison Monday for hisunfulfilled terror plot to attack the U.S. Capitol and kill President Obama during the 2015 State of the Union address.

Cornell, 22, pleaded guilty in August to charges including attempted murder of government officials and trying to provide support to a terrorist organization.

Moments after the U.S. District Court in Cincinnati sentence, Cornell, of Green Township, said the courts are a "rigged a-- system" and that "Allah's in control, not the judge."

That, despite writing in a March 31, 2016, letter to his family: "I hope they can soon see the change in me, understand me, give me the help I need and allow me to get a second chance. I’m not a terrorist, a criminal or a bad person, I’m just a kid who suffered from problems, that made some bad decisions and stupid mistakes."

Cornell's plot to attack the Capitol was the product of a lonely and depressed 20-year-old with the mind of a teenager who was trying to impress an FBI informant, his attorneys said.

Cornell was easily influenced by the Islamic State propaganda and conspiracy theories he read online, they said.

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