Donald Trump: former US President to be arrested in Georgia this week over election interference charges

Former US President Donald Trump has said that he plans to turn himself into authorities in Georgia on Thursday (24 August) after he was charged with election interference for his alleged role in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Trump was charged 13 counts including false claims of election fraud, solicitation of violation of oath and providing false statements amongst others. The indictment was unsealed in Georgia on Monday (14 August) and revealed that 18 other people had also been indicted on similar charges, including his former lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Trump denies all 13 charges levelled against him.

Following US President Joe Biden's win against the Republican candidate in the 2020 election, Trump allegedly attempted to overturn the results with a flashpoint taking place amongst those believing that the election was "stolen" during the January 6 Capitol insurrection riots. Trump allegedly attempted to overturn the results in Georgia and was heard in a phone call pressuring Brad Raffensperger, Republican Secretary of State for Georgia, to "find 11,780 votes".

Bail has been set at $200,000 (£157,000) by an Atlanta judge. A court filing release shortly before Trump confirmed his intention to hand himself in and signed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis laid out the terms of his bond agreement.

It read: "The defendant shall perform no act to intimidate any person known to him or her to be a co-defendant or witness in this case or to otherwise obstruct the administration of justice. The above shall include, but are not limited to, posts on social media or reposts of posts made by another individual on social media."

On his social media site Truth Social, the former president wrote: "I’ll be going to Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday to be ARRESTED by a Radical Left District Attorney, Fani Willis."

He added: "She campaigned, and is continuing to campaign, and raise money on, this WITCH HUNT. This is in strict coordination with crooked Joe Biden's DOJ [Department of Justice]."

Georgia authorities are already investigating threats made to jurors on the case after their personal information was posted on Truth Social. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said: “We take this matter very seriously and are co-ordinating with our law enforcement partners to respond quickly to any credible threat and to ensure the safety of those individuals who carried out their civic duty.”

Ms Willis is said to have requested an arraignment hearing for 5 September. At the arraignment hearing, Trump and his co-defendants will be expected to submit their pleas. Ms Willis also proposed that the trial begin in March.

The Georgia indictment is the latest in a long line of legal woes for the 2024 presidential hopeful. He faces a total of 91 charges across four separate criminal cases.