The Idaho man charged with firing an assault weapon at the White House in 2011 was reportedly angry over the government's continued criminalization of marijuana, according to court documents released Thursday.
Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, 22, has been charged with attempting to assassinate President Barack Obama after the Nov. 11, 2011 shooting, which left at least five bullet marks on the White House.
Ortega-Hernandez was upset over the administration's marijuana policy, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press:
In the document, prosecutors said Ortega-Hernandez "expressed anger towards the government regarding the continued criminalization of marijuana," which they said he acknowledged smoking and claimed makes people more intelligent.
Prosecutors said they will offer evidence to show that Ortega-Hernandez’s motive in shooting at the White House "was to punish and kill the president, who he believed was the head of a government that was oppressing its citizens in various ways, such as by continuing to criminalize the use of marijuana."
Prosecutors also reiterated previously disclosed information that Ortega-Hernandez repeatedly expressed contempt for Obama, whom he called the antichrist.
