Coast Guard Officer Who Feds Call Terrorist Will Remain In Prison Until Trial
GREENBELT, Md. (WJZ) — A Coast Guard lieutenant accused of plotting to attack public officials will remain in prison until trial.
In Courtroom 4A earlier Monday, Judge George Hazel vacated a previous ruling for the pretrial release of Christopher Hasson, an accused white nationalist who federal authorities said they stopped from a sniper campaign.
He will now stay in prison pending his trial, this after prosecutors brought some of the weapons he purchased into court, including a Bergara sniper rifle they said Hasson purchased illegally.
Federal prosecutors called Hasson an "extraordinarily dangerous" white nationalist but declined to comment Monday as they left court.
They laid out how they said Hasson had made a hit list and searched for homes and security of members of Congress, Supreme Court justices and journalists- all while purchasing firearms and silencers.
To which his defense attorney argued was simply part of Hasson's recreational culture. His attorneys argued Hasson did not act, despite months of surveillance.
Ultimately, the judge concluded Hasson read and acted on a terrorist manifesto and took concrete steps, enough to warrant the 30-year Coast Guard veteran to be detained pending trial.
The trial date has not been set yet. Hasson faces up to 31 years in prison if convicted.
