Alabama man accused of planning to assassinate Biden during 2024 presidential debate in Atlanta
An Alabama man is in custody, accused of planning to sneak into the 2024 presidential debate in Atlanta and murder then-President Biden.
Adam Benjamin Hall, 23, was arrested on Wednesday on a federal charge of interstate stalking. Additional charges are expected to come, officials say.
According to prosecutors, Hall drove from Alabama to Atlanta on June 27, 2024, the day of the first debate between Mr. Biden and former President Trump. Prosecutors say Hall brought a firearm with him. Location data reportedly revealed that his phone was three blocks from the debate location less than half an hour before its scheduled start.
Hall's phone also allegedly contained a note that the Alabama man has termed his "manifesto," which officials say addressed Palestinian journalists and called for political upheaval.
Our enemies are not in any other country but our own and Israel's," an excerpt of the not released by authorities reads. "It's time we overthrow these bastards and threaten to pull a f***ing D-Day on Tel Aviv."
The note reportedly concludes with the phrase "Free Palestine" as well as an emoji of the Palestinian flag.
"Our highest priority is protecting the President of the United States, and every potential threat is treated with the utmost seriousness," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Donovan of the U.S. Secret Service's Atlanta Field Office. "Our agents, working in close coordination with prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia, worked tirelessly to advance this investigation. Hall's arrest is representative of the effectiveness of our combined efforts to safeguard our nation's leadership."
Hall appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge on Wednesday. The investigation into his alleged actions remains ongoing.