The FBI has been accused of setting up an Ohio man's arrest on Wednesday for allegedly plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Christopher Lee Cornell, who used the Twitter alias Raheel Mahrus Ubayda, was arrested on charges of attempting to kill a U.S. government official on Wednesday, authorities said. However describing the suspect as a "mama's boy who never left the house," his father said his son was not a violent man or a terrorist.
"I know my son probably better than anyone," Cornell's father, John Cornell Sr., told ABC News. "He's a mommy's boy. His best friend is his cat Mikey. He still calls his mother 'Mommy.' Just a typical kid."
On Wednesday, the 20-year-old suspect was arrested by the Joint Terrorism Task Force outside a Cincinnati gun store after having purchased two automatic weapons and 600 rounds of ammunition. According to government documents, he allegedly planned to set up pipe bombs outside the national landmark and open fire on any employees and officials fleeing for safety.
Several months ago, authorities were first alerted by an informant about Cornell's alleged support for violent jihad on Twitter accounts, where he also posted videos and other content expressing support for the Islamic State, a terrorist organization wreaking havoc in Iraq and Syria, according to USA Today.
Over a meeting with an FBI informant in October and November, he reportedly said that members of Congress were enemies and he wanted to launch an attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., according to charging documents.
Now, his father has accused the FBI informant of leading his son into this mess. "I believe he was really vulnerable and I believe he was coerced in a lot of ways," John said.
"He told me he had gone to a mosque and now I know, in hindsight I know, he was meeting with an FBI agent," he told ABC News. "And they were taking him somewhere, and they were filling his head with a lot of this garbage."
"These guns cost almost $2,000. Where did that money come from? Well, it came from the FBI," John said. "They set him up."
Christopher had recently converted to Islam and had found "peace in the religion," his father said. Since the 20-year-old was subject to frequent abuse due to his religious beliefs, he had been living in his parents' apartment while working at occasional part-time jobs.
"Everything you're hearing in the media right now, they've already painted him as some kind of terrorist," John told the Enquirer. "They've painted him as some kind of jihadist. ... (Christopher) is one of the most peace-loving people I know."
His mother, Angela Carmen, described him as a good person who was interested in wrestling but also a homebody. "I just love my son. I'll do anything in the world for him, and I'll be right by his side," she said.
The 20-year-old's arrest also shocked his teachers at Cincinnati's Oak Hills High School, who described the 2012 graduate as a typical student, according to the Associated Press.
"His teachers were shocked at the news of his involvement in this situation," the statement said on Thursday. "Teachers ... remember Christopher as a quiet, but not overly reserved, student who would participate in class and did not withdraw from his class work."
Meanwhile, Christopher has been charged with the attempted killing of U.S. government officers and possession of firearms in furtherance of an attempted crime of violence. He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
"He may be facing life in prison," John Cornell told CNN. "Do you know how devastating that is?"
