WASHINGTON -- The arrest last week of an Ohio man allegedly plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on the U.S. Capitol sent shockwaves across the country.
Twenty-year-old Christopher Lee Cornell is now facing charges for attempting to kill U.S. government officials. And although he's been labeled a lone wolf, he's definitely not the only terror suspect caught up in an FBI undercover sting.
CNN's Susan Candiotti takes us inside an FBI operation that foiled another plot to attack the U.S. Congress.
Undercover video from the sting shows Amine el Khalifi sitting in the front seat of a car.
"I've thought about this a long time," el Khalifi said during the sting. "Listen, I'm going to go it alone. You're not going to go with me. I'm going to put everything on my body and inside a real place. Maybe uh, Capitol or somewhere who … with main people."
It’s a rare, frightening look inside the mind of a would-be suicide bomber, who was ready to strap on a vest with explosives and blow himself up at the U.S. Capitol. el Khalifi is another lone wolf who was stopped by the FBI.
"The difference here is not just the clear intent to strike us here, but the pursuit of the capability to be able to conduct that attack and I think the tape shows that very well," FBI Assistant Director Andrew McCabe said.
El Khalifi, an unemployed deejay seeking revenge on the U.S. for its war on terror is convinced god's telling him to kill.
“This is not about happiness. This is about Allah. This is not about, you know, us anymore. It's about Allah," el Khalifi said.
El Khalifi is in hurry. The Moroccan national is living illegally in the U.S. and dealing with assault charges.
"I’m done. I'm done. My work is done in this life," el Khalifi said on the recording.
Another video of el Khalifi shows him in a store buying nails for shrapnel for his body bomb. Later, he brags on the secret recording about the size of the nails, talking about the damage he can do.
"Thick ones, I got, thick ones, not thin ones. The ones that gonna make damage, right,” el Khalifi said. “Don't be nervous man. Come on, man."
Again, he mentions his target, the U.S. Congress.
"Yeah, I want to go somewhere with those suits, those heads, just them," el Khalifi said.
"The Senators," an undercover agent suggests.
"Exactly. I want those people," el Khalifi said.
Undercover agents drove el Khalfi to a landfill where they tested an explosive for a suicide vest. Inside the car, undercover agents use a cell phone to show him how easy it is to detonate a bomb.
"You're going to call it, you're going to call it. It's called ‘test’. You just hit 'OK' and get it to dial," an agent said.
The agent gives el Khalifi the phone, and moments later an explosion is heard on the recording.
"I'm not thinking about anything. Nothing. I have my decision. I seen some stuff in my dreams," el Khalifi said.
And his dream includes shooting anyone who gets in his way. In a hotel room with undercover agents, he practices with a MAC-10.
"You hold the trigger, it's going to keep firing. Hold it tight, man,” the agent said. “Hold it tight. It doesn't take much. You just point, aim, and shoot."
Ready to kill, el Khalifi drives to a Washington, D.C., garage, puts on what he thinks is a real suicide vest and grabs a loaded MAC-10. Both are duds provided by the FBI. That’s when agents take him down.
"Individuals who are self-radicalized can exist off the radar as it were for a long time until they are actually ready to act and that's the scenario that causes us the most concern," FBI Assistant Director McCabe said.
After pleading guilty, el Khalifi was sentenced to 30 years in prison. During the trial, he told a judge: “I just want to say that I love Allah.”
Twenty-year-old Christopher Lee Cornell is now facing charges for attempting to kill U.S. government officials. And although he's been labeled a lone wolf, he's definitely not the only terror suspect caught up in an FBI undercover sting.
CNN's Susan Candiotti takes us inside an FBI operation that foiled another plot to attack the U.S. Congress.
Undercover video from the sting shows Amine el Khalifi sitting in the front seat of a car.
"I've thought about this a long time," el Khalifi said during the sting. "Listen, I'm going to go it alone. You're not going to go with me. I'm going to put everything on my body and inside a real place. Maybe uh, Capitol or somewhere who … with main people."
It’s a rare, frightening look inside the mind of a would-be suicide bomber, who was ready to strap on a vest with explosives and blow himself up at the U.S. Capitol. el Khalifi is another lone wolf who was stopped by the FBI.
"The difference here is not just the clear intent to strike us here, but the pursuit of the capability to be able to conduct that attack and I think the tape shows that very well," FBI Assistant Director Andrew McCabe said.
El Khalifi, an unemployed deejay seeking revenge on the U.S. for its war on terror is convinced god's telling him to kill.
“This is not about happiness. This is about Allah. This is not about, you know, us anymore. It's about Allah," el Khalifi said.
El Khalifi is in hurry. The Moroccan national is living illegally in the U.S. and dealing with assault charges.
"I’m done. I'm done. My work is done in this life," el Khalifi said on the recording.
Another video of el Khalifi shows him in a store buying nails for shrapnel for his body bomb. Later, he brags on the secret recording about the size of the nails, talking about the damage he can do.
"Thick ones, I got, thick ones, not thin ones. The ones that gonna make damage, right,” el Khalifi said. “Don't be nervous man. Come on, man."
Again, he mentions his target, the U.S. Congress.
"Yeah, I want to go somewhere with those suits, those heads, just them," el Khalifi said.
"The Senators," an undercover agent suggests.
"Exactly. I want those people," el Khalifi said.
Undercover agents drove el Khalfi to a landfill where they tested an explosive for a suicide vest. Inside the car, undercover agents use a cell phone to show him how easy it is to detonate a bomb.
"You're going to call it, you're going to call it. It's called ‘test’. You just hit 'OK' and get it to dial," an agent said.
The agent gives el Khalifi the phone, and moments later an explosion is heard on the recording.
"I'm not thinking about anything. Nothing. I have my decision. I seen some stuff in my dreams," el Khalifi said.
And his dream includes shooting anyone who gets in his way. In a hotel room with undercover agents, he practices with a MAC-10.
"You hold the trigger, it's going to keep firing. Hold it tight, man,” the agent said. “Hold it tight. It doesn't take much. You just point, aim, and shoot."
Ready to kill, el Khalifi drives to a Washington, D.C., garage, puts on what he thinks is a real suicide vest and grabs a loaded MAC-10. Both are duds provided by the FBI. That’s when agents take him down.
"Individuals who are self-radicalized can exist off the radar as it were for a long time until they are actually ready to act and that's the scenario that causes us the most concern," FBI Assistant Director McCabe said.
After pleading guilty, el Khalifi was sentenced to 30 years in prison. During the trial, he told a judge: “I just want to say that I love Allah.”