The Idaho man who in fired a rifle at the White House in 2011 and claimed to be “on a mission from God to take out Obama” was sentenced to 25 years in prison Monday.
Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, 23, used a semi-automatic rifle to fire at least eight rounds at the White House after traveling more than 2,000 miles from his home state to the District. He pleaded guilty last year to firing shots at the White House and admitted the incident was an act of terrorism. He had initially faced life in prison for 19 criminal charges that included attempting to assassinate the president.
Neither President Obama nor first lady Michelle Obama were at the executive mansion at the time Ortega-Hernandez stopped in the middle of Constitution Avenue and fired from his vehicle. No one was injured in the shooting, but the executive mansion was struck by the gunfire several times.
Prosecutors said Ortega-Hernandez frequently spoke about his contempt of the federal government to friends, stating that he believed officials tried to control Americans through GPS chips, fluoride and aspartame. They said he purchased the rifle and practiced firing the weapon for about six months before embarking on his trip to the District.
After shooting at the White House, Ortega-Hernandez drove away from the scene, crashed his car and then abandoned it. He was arrested by police in Pennsylvania several days later after a large-scale manhunt.
• Andrea Noble can be reached at anoble@washingtontimes.com.
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