A 22-year-old illegal immigrant from Uzbekistan was charged today with threatening the life of President Obama after purchasing a machine gun from an undercover federal agent in Alabama.
Ulugbek Kodoriov, whose 2009 student visa was revoked last year, allegedly outlined his plan to an FBI informant beginning July 9, according to court documents. In subsequent meetings with the informant, Kodoriov expressed interest in assassination plots that included using explosives and "shooting the president from long distance,'' the court documents stated.
While living at a Birmingham motel, Kodoriov allegedly expressed support for Islamic extremists and told the informant that he "did not care if he lost his life killing the president.''
Kodoriov was arrested July 13 after the alleged machine gun purchase, the court documents state.
Doug is an unrepentant news junkie who loves breaking news and has been known to watch C-SPAN even on vacation. He has covered a wide range of domestic and international news stories, from prison riots in Oklahoma to the Moscow coup against Mikhail Gorbachev. Doug previously served as foreign editor at USA TODAY. More about Doug
Michael Winter has been a daily contributor to On Deadline since its debut in January 2006. His journalism career began in the prehistoric Ink Era, and he was an early adapter at the dawn of the Digital Age. His varied experience includes editing at the San Jose Mercury News and The Philadelphia Inquirer.