Jury indicts man in alleged White House assassination attempt on Pres. Obama

(CBS/AP) WASHINGTON - A federal grand jury handed down a 17-count indictment Tuesday against a man for firing up to a dozen shots at the White House in an alleged assassination attempt in November.

Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez is accused of trying to assassinate President Barack Obama. He was arrested days after the Nov. 11 shooting and was formally charged Tuesday by a panel in Washington.

NBC Washington reports Ortega-Hernandez used an assault rifle to fire shots at the White House from his vehicle. Two bullets and one fragment were found on the White House grounds, and investigators found five bullet impact points on or above the second story, where the first family resides.

The Obamas were out of town when the shooting occurred.

The five-page document charges him with 17 counts, including attempting to assassinate the president. Also, he faces charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, using a weapon during a crime of violence and doing damage to the White House.

Friends and associates told police that Ortega-Hernandez, 21, was long obsessed with Obama and referred to him as "The Antichrist," The Associated Press says. Ortega-Hernandez called himself "the modern-day Jesus Christ," and told at least one person he intended to kill the president, authorities allege.

Ortega-Hernandez is from Idaho Falls, Idaho. During a December hearing, a judge ordered him detained without bond.

Ortega-Hernandez's lawyer said his client would plead not guilty on all counts.

Complete coverage of the White House shooter on Crimesider