June 19, 2013

Pentagon shooter sentenced to 25 years in prison

BY: NAOMI JAGODA JANUARY 11, 2013 | 5:13 PM
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A former Marine who shot at the Pentagon and other military buildings in Northern Virginia was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Yonathan Melaku was sentenced Friday and had pleaded guilty in federal court in Alexandria last year.

Melaku, of Alexandria, admitted to attacking the Pentagon, the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, a Marine Corps recruiting station in Chantilly and a Woodbridge Coast Guard recruiting center in 2010. No one was injured during the incidents.

After he pleaded guilty, doctors diagnosed Melaku as schizophrenic. During Friday's hearing, Melaku said he wanted to move forward with his plea deal even though he was aware that he could potentially present an insanity defense, the Associated Press reported.

njagoda@washingtonexaminer.com

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