Federal authorities have arrested a 23-year-old Alabama man accused of attempting to assassinate then-President Joe Biden in June 2024, motivated by opposition to U.S. policy on Gaza and the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Adam Benjamin Hall, from Crane Hill, Alabama, allegedly traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, armed with a .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver during the CNN-hosted presidential debate between Biden and Donald Trump on June 27, 2024. Prosecutors say Hall intended to enter the event and kill Biden but was unable to do so due to heavy security measures. He reportedly went to the wrong CNN location initially and scouted the area, with his phone pinging three blocks from the debate site around the time it began.
Hall's plan was uncovered more than a year later, in October 2025, when he confided in fellow students at Wallace State Community College about the attempt. One student alerted local police, who notified the U.S. Secret Service. Investigators later interviewed Hall, his parents (who had confiscated the revolver after learning of the plot about a month after the debate), and others. Hall was arrested in late January 2026 following a federal arrest warrant.
He faces a charge of interstate stalking in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, with prosecutors indicating that additional charges could be forthcoming.
According to court documents, Hall was deeply disturbed by online images of injured Palestinian children amid the Gaza conflict. Shortly before the debate, he purchased the revolver in cash and wrote a manifesto addressed to Palestinian journalists. In it, he expressed apologies on behalf of the "U.S. empire" for "needless bloodshed," described U.S. and Israeli leaders as enemies, defended nations like Russia, China, and Iran, and called for overthrowing "globalist elites." The document concluded with a call to "threaten to pull a f---ing D-Day on Tel Aviv" and ended with "Free Palestine" accompanied by a Palestinian flag emoji.
Hall reportedly told his ex-girlfriend during the debate period that he planned to sneak in but found too many police officers present and would try again at a future debate. He later claimed to students that he was a capable shooter and believed two bullets would suffice given Biden's age.
The case is described as part of a broader pattern of violent incidents or plots in the U.S. linked to anti-Israel activism since the escalation of the Gaza war, including other attacks or threats where perpetrators shouted "Free Palestine" or referenced the cause.
Hall lived with his parents at the time and had nearly failed his college courses due to his fixation on the plan. The U.S. Secret Service emphasized that protecting the president remains a top priority, with every potential threat taken seriously.