Idaho Falls Man Charged With Attempted Assassination

An Idaho man charged with firing two shots at the White House last week has been charged with attempting to assassinate President Barack Obama or his staff.

Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, will be taken back from a federal court in Pittsburgh to face the charges in Washington, D.C.

According to the hearing, Ortega had a very large scope on his Romanian Cugir SA semi-automatic assault rifle. He allegedly fired the shots through an open passenger window of his car. The 1998 Honda sedan found by police was registered to Ortega. Nine spent shell casings were found in the car, according to police.

Ortega will remain in federal custody at least until a magistrate in Washington can determine if he should remain jailed until his trial on the charge, which carries up to life in prison.

The 21-year-old Ortega said only, “Yes, ma’am” when he was asked if he understood that he would be going back to Washington to face the charges.

According to the complaint filed Thursday in federal court, Ortega was obsessed with President Obama and thought he was the “anti-Christ.” Ortega was convinced the government was in a “conspiracy” against him and that he needed to kill the president, according to the complaint.

Several bullets or fragments hit the second and third floors of the south side of the White House where the first family lives. The president and family were not in the White House at the time of the shooting.