Grand jury charges suspect in Capitol plot with supporting ISIS

A man accused of planning an attack on the U.S. Capitol has been charged by a grand jury with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Christopher Lee Cornell, an Ohio native, was already arrested and charged for the plot in January. But the new indictment adds the ISIS charge, asserting that his plan was motivated by support for the terrorist group.

{mosads}Cornell allegedly bought guns and ammo, targeted government buildings and looked up how to make a pipe bomb to gear up for an attack on the Capitol building, according to the initial complaint. 

He allegedly told an FBI informant last summer that he had been talking to “persons overseas” to greenlight the operation, but figured that he and the informant should go forward with the attack even without a blessing as a way to support ISIS.

“I believe that we should just wage jihad under our own orders and plan attacks and everything,” he wrote in an instant message, according to court documents.

“We already got the thumbs up from the Brothers over there and Anwar Al Awlaki before his martyrdom and many others,” he allegedly added, mentioning the former top al Qaeda official.

The new charge comes days after two gunmen attacked a controversial “Draw Mohammad” event in Texas. ISIS claimed it was responsible for the attack, a charge that U.S. intelligence officials have not verified.

A number of lawmakers, including Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), said they believe the Texas attack was inspired by ISIS, even if the terror group did not have a hand in planning it.