An Idaho man who pleaded guilty to firing a semi-automatic weapon at the White House was sentenced to 25 years in prison for terrorism and weapons offensives.
Twenty-three-year-old Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez admitted to firing at least eight rounds at the White House in November 2011. No one was injured, but U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen Jr. said the bullets narrowly missed the Secret Service officers guarding the White House.
Prosecutors were seeking the maximum, 27 1/2 years.
“This man drove cross-country to launch an assault rifle attack on the White House from Constitution Avenue,” Machen said. “He was motivated by hatred for the president and the desire to start a revolution against the government.”
Federal agents said Ortega-Hernandez had become increasingly agitated with the federal government and was convinced that authorities were conspiring against him.
He espoused numerous theories regarding how the federal government was seeking to control Americans through Global Positioning System chips, fluoride, and aspartame. He also criticized the federal government for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, claiming that the United States was “bullying” other countries to obtain oil.
He made numerous statements vilifying the President of the United States, calling him “the devil” and “the anti-Christ,” among other things. On numerous occasions, he told friends and associates that “he was on a mission from God to take out Obama.”
Ortega-Hernandez purchased a Romanian Cugir SA semi-automatic (AK-47-style) assault rifle from an individual in Idaho for $550. He also purchased more than 1,200 rounds of ammunition to use with the weapon.
Ortega-Hernandez made two short videos at the home of one of his friends. In the videos, he praised Osama bin Laden for having the courage to stand up to the United States, and called for a revolution against the federal government. Ortega-Hernandez described himself as a “cold-hearted warrior of God” and declared, “it’s time for Armageddon.”
Ortega-Hernandez drove his black 1998 Honda Accord between the White House and the Washington Monument, and fired a semiautomatic rifle through the passenger window, authorities said.
Bullets struck the south side of the executive mansion, police said. A bullet hole was discovered in a window on the Truman Balcony, which looks into the heart of the first familys living quarters. The president and first lady were not home at the time.
Ortega-Hernandez sped away and drove the car onto the lawn of the United States Institute of Peace near the ramp of the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, police said. He failed to restart the car, then fled on foot.
This is a copy of the full article provided by D.C. Crime Stories
