01/28/2026 | Press release | Archived content
ATLANTA - Adam Benjamin Hall was arrested and appeared in federal court today on a federal charge of traveling in interstate commerce with the intent to kill then-President of the United States Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
"Threats against the President are gravely serious and must be treated as such," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "Hall's alleged actions went beyond mere words and included traveling to Georgia with a firearm to murder President Biden. Political violence is never acceptable and must be countered by swift intervention and meaningful consequences."
"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, 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."
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: on June 27, 2024, Adam Benjamin Hall allegedly drove from Alabama to Atlanta planning to sneak into the presidential debate hosted by CNN that evening so he could kill then-President Biden. A screenshot of a map allegedly found on Hall's phone contained a location marker indicating that the phone was three blocks from the debate site approximately 28 minutes before the debate's scheduled start time (when adjusted to local time).
Hall's phone also allegedly contained a note that Hall termed his "exposé" or "manifesto." The note was addressed "[t]o all the Palestinian journalists . . . and in remembrance of the ones who lost their lives along the way." It further stated in part:
Hall's manifesto concluded "Free Palestine" next to an emoji of the flag of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority.
Adam Benjamin Hall, 23, of Crane Hill, Alabama, was charged by a criminal complaint on January 26, 2026, with interstate stalking. He was arrested today and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Staci G. Cornelius in federal court. Notwithstanding Hall's arrest, the investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be filed later.
Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government's burden to prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Pearce is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney's Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.