US: Trump arrested, then released on $200,000 bond
Former United States (US) President Donald Trump (77) was arrested at Atlanta's Fulton County Jail on Thursday and released within half an hour on a $200,000 bond after his mug shot was taken, a first for any former or sitting US president. Trump is accused of racketeering and conspiring with 18 other defendants to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential elections in Georgia.
Why does this story matter?
Trump has been indicted in four cases since April amid his campaign for the 2024 presidential elections as a Republican nominee. He calls it a conspiracy by the ruling Democrats to eliminate him from the upcoming election. The case is focused on Trump's actions between his loss and his supporters rioting at the US Capitol as lawmakers certified the victory of President Joe Biden.
Walked into lion's den: Trump
Trump's mug shot has already been dubbed "historic" by various quarters. He posted his mug shot on X, formerly Twitter, returning to the platform for the first time since his account was restored last year. "Today, at the notoriously violent jail in Fulton County, Georgia, I was ARRESTED despite having committed NO CRIME," he said in a statement, terming his arrest as "election interference."
Will never surrender to save America: Trump
Trump avoided giving mug shot during previous arrests
The Fulton County Jail gave Trump the inmate number PO1135809 and listed his height as 6'3" (1.9 m), weight as 215 pounds (97 kg), and hair color as "blond or strawberry." Reportedly, he avoided having his mug shot taken during his arrests in the other cases—falsifying business records to conceal paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and mishandling classified government documents.
11 of Trump's 18 co-defendants have surrendered
Trump and 18 of his co-defendants were given a deadline of Friday noon to surrender, of which 11 have turned themselves in. It includes former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, and conservative lawyer John Eastman. They are charged under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law, which is typically used to bring mobsters to justice.
