Cincy Man Gets 30 Years for ISIL Capitol Attack Plot

Christopher Lee Cornell, a 22-year-old from Green Township, Ohio, is headed to federal prison for 30 years after attempting to launch a terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol during the 2015 State of the Union Address. The sentence, handed down today by Senior U.S. District Judge Sandra Beckwith, includes lifetime supervised release—marking one of the longest penalties ever imposed for a domestic terrorism attempt tied to ISIL.

Court documents reveal Cornell spent months plotting the attack, conducting online research from August 2014 through January 2015 on bomb construction, weapons, and the layout of the U.S. Capitol and other Washington, D.C., targets. He stockpiled two semi-automatic rifles and approximately 600 rounds of ammunition, all in preparation to kill government officers and employees during one of the nation’s highest-profile political events.

The defendant admitted his actions were intended to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Far from backing down after his January 14, 2015 arrest by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), Cornell doubled down—posting online calls for others to join him in violent jihad. He referred to himself as a prisoner of war and continued efforts to incite attacks from behind bars.

“One would think that the shock of being arrested for these offenses would have an immediate and sobering effect on a young man’s psyche. But that is not what happened,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Mangan wrote in the sentencing memo. “Cornell became even more proud of and obstinate regarding his attack plans and allegiance to ISIL… He remained determined to cause harm.”

Cornell was initially indicted on January 21, 2015, then hit with a superseding indictment on May 7. He pleaded guilty on August 1 to three charges: attempting to kill government employees, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman of the Southern District of Ohio called the plot “more than” just an attempted murder. “Cornell wanted to inflict pain on the spirit of the entire country, and terrorize its leadership,” Glassman said. The JTTF, a coalition of local, state, and federal agencies including the FBI, Secret Service, and Ohio State Highway Patrol, was credited for stopping the attack before it could unfold.