Hard Lockdown as Trump plans to turn himself in over Georgia indictment

Donald Trump has said he will surrender himself to authorities in Atlanta on Thursday in connection with the charges of conspiracy and racketeering that he faces in Georgia.

The former US president, who also faces a $200,000 bond and orders not to send threatening social media messages, had until this Friday at noon to surrender.

“Can you believe it? I’ll be going to Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday to be ARRESTED,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform late on Monday.

His statement came just hours after it was revealed he would face a $200,000 bond and orders not to send threatening social media messages as the he awaits trial in Georgia on charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss.

According to the bond agreement signed by Trump’s attorneys and Fulton Country District Attorney Fani Willis on Monday, Trump is also barred from intimidating co-defendants, witnesses or victims in the case — including on social media. It explicitly includes “posts on social media or reposts of posts” made by others.

The order sets Trump’s bond for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations — or RICO — charge at $80,000, and adds $10,000 for each of the 12 other counts he is facing. Bond is the amount defendants must pay as a form of collateral to ensure they show up in court ahead of trial.

In a 98-page indictment made last week, the Republican front runner and 18 other defendants were charged with a total of 41 criminal counts in connection with efforts to overturn the former president’s loss in the 2020 election in the state.

Prosecutors in the case have proposed that the trial start on 4 March, while Trump’s lawyers have asked for a 2026 trial.

His surrender will come a day after the first Republican primary presidential debate, that Trump has said he does not plan to attend.

The local sheriff’s office said there will be a “hard lockdown” of the area surrounding Fulton County Jail, also known as Rice Street Jail, when Trump surrenders.

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