April 9, 2019 – In Breaking News – CNN
A federal judge ordered a Maryland man detained on Tuesday following an accusation by the government that he was inspired by ISIS and stole a van with the intention of running over innocent people.
US Magistrate Judge Thomas DiGirolamo accepted the government’s argument at a detention hearing in Maryland, ordering Rondell Henry detained as he awaits trial and the government’s investigation is ongoing.
(Rondell Henry, 28, of Maryland, allegedly stole a UHaul truck and planned on “plowing it through a crowd of people” before he was arrested, according to a criminal complaint. Courtesy of ABC News and YouTube. Posted on Apr 8, 2019.)
At the hearing on Tuesday, Assistant US Attorney Thomas Windom said Henry was by his own admission inspired by ISIS and that, if released, he would be a danger to the community.
The judge accepted Windom’s argument and rejected an offer by a public defender on Henry’s behalf to keep him on house arrest in the custody of his family and 24 hour monitoring.
The Justice Department announced the allegation against Henry on Monday and said he had been arrested in connection with the vehicle theft last month.
Speaking to reporters Monday evening, Prince George’s County Chief of Police Hank Stawinski of Maryland said he had not been able to inform the county “immediately” about the event, but stressed his belief that the area was safe.
(An ISIS inspired man had plans to drive a stolen truck into crowds at a special event in Washington D.C., but he was arrested before any harm could be done. Courtesy of CBS Miami and YouTube. Posted on Apr 9, 2019.)
On Tuesday, Windom said Henry had spent time “watching videos posted by the Islamic State” and was in agreement with the infamous militant group’s calls for violence against civilians.
“He considered it brave to murder innocent civilians,” Windom said.
Windom said that last month, Henry “literally walked out the door” of his job, in the middle of his shift and looked for a vehicle to run people down with.
He followed someone in a U-Haul and stole the vehicle, Windom said, and drove out to Dulles International Airport early in the morning and “essentially cased the airport” before leaving and heading to National Harbor in Maryland, where he walked around looking for a place to attack with the U-Haul. He was apprehended by law enforcement the next morning, according to Windom.
(The feds claim Rondell Henry is a homegrown terrorist. His defense attorney says he’s just a 28-year-old guy with a degree in computer science who lives in Germantown, and is close to his mom, stepdad and sister. Courtesy of WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore and YouTube. Posted on Apr 9, 2019.)
Windom said there was corroborating video surveillance at Dulles and National Harbor, evidence of interest in ISIS from Henry’s phone and Henry’s own statements backing the government’s arguments.
Continue reading… Judge orders detainment for man accused of attempting ISIS-inspired vehicle attack
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