Coast Guard officer accused of plotting terrorist attack asks judge to review his jail status

The attorney for a U.S. Coast Guard officer accused of plotting a terrorist attack in the Washington region has asked a federal judge to review his detention status, saying her client still hasn’t been charged with any terrorism-related offenses.

Lt. Christopher Hasson, 49, of Silver Spring, Md., was arrested in February and charged with drug and weapons counts as part of what the government said was a planned domestic attack targeting politicians and media personalities.

In a memo filed Monday, Hasson’s federal public defender said no other charges have been brought against her client related to alleged domestic terrorism, and she asked the court to reconsider whether he should remain jailed pending trial.

After Hasson’s arrest, federal prosecutors asserted in court documents that he described himself as a “long time White Nationalist,” studied the work of mass attackers and planned “to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country.” Prosecutors said Hasson’s Internet searches and activity on his government computer raised suspicions about an internal “threat” that prompted the Coast Guard and FBI personnel in Baltimore to investigate.

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