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Six people who face domestic terrorism charges following protests at the planned site of Atlanta police’s new training center dubbed "Cop City" were granted bond by a judge Tuesday.
The defendants deny all charges after being arrested Dec. 13 following a standoff and altercation with Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents and Atlanta police officers, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They are part of the "Defend The Atlanta Forest" movement opposing the police center, and are accused of throwing rocks and glass bottles, resisting arrest and possessing pipe bombs and trip wires.
The domestic terrorism charges prosecutors are pursuing can carry five to 35-year prison sentences.
"During a virtual bond hearing, prosecutors and defense attorneys argued over the validity of the charges for more than 90 minutes. Joshua Schiffer, an attorney representing two of the defendants, called them "political prisoners," while DeKalb County District Attorney representative Pete Johnson said the hefty charges are warranted," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Left to right, Nicholas Olson, Arieon Robinson, Leonardo Vioselle (DeKalb County Sheriff's Office)
Court records obtained by the publication say the defendants are Francis Carroll, 22, of Maine; Ariel Ebaugh, 22, of Stockbridge; Serena Hertel, 25, of California; Leonard Vioselle, 20, of Macon; Arieon Robinson, 21, of Wisconsin; and Nicholas Olson, 25, of Nebraska.
ATLANTA OFFICERS PELTED WITH ROCKS, ‘MOLOTOV COCKTAIL’ AT ‘COP CITY' DURING PROTEST, POLICE SAY
Protesters at a planned police training site were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism. (WAGA-TV)
DeKalb County Senior Judge Mathew Robins reportedly granted bonds varying from $6,000 to $13,500. The defendants who live out of state must waive their extradition rights. None of them can contact each other, the activist group on social media or return to the public safety training center site.
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In May, Atlanta police arrested eight protesters accused of tossing Molotov cocktails at officers escorting construction workers to the site of the facility, and the FBI was on scene amid a "concerted effort" by actors from at least seven other states committing criminal acts to stop the build.
Fox News' Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
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