Man who plotted to kill Obama sentenced to 30 years

The Ohio man who planned to attack the 2015 State of the Union address and kill President Obama was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Monday, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Christopher Lee Cornell was influenced by online propaganda from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and voiced support for the terror group, according to court documents cited by the newspaper.

“His ideas were not rationally possible or remotely realistic,” said a memorandum written by Cornell’s attorney. “Chris created a character, with a different name, in a fantasy where this character was somebody in the world.” 

After the sentencing was announced Monday, Cornell said “Allah’s in control, not the judge.”

But earlier this year, the man wrote that he had changed since his arrest, writing a letter to his family in March asking for help.

“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,” the letter reportedly said. “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.”

Federal authorities began looking into Cornell’s activities in 2014, after seeing his online support for ISIS. Cornell had planned the attack on Washington with an informant.

After being arrested in 2015, Cornell used a Muslim name he gave himself for more than a year.