A U.S. judge set a 225,000-U.S.dollar bail on Monday for a 50-year-old man who allegedly threatened to kill President George W. Bush.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Margaret Nagle ordered Charles Anthony Madrid to be confined to his home if he posts bail, and to wear an electronic monitor.
She also ordered Madrid to undergo mental health evaluation or seek counseling, forbade him to possess firearms or hunting knives, and banned him from contacting anyone involved in the investigation.
Madrid was arrested last week and is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles.
"These kind of threats in today's ... society must be taken seriously," said Nagle, but she refused Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Wolfe's request to deny bail in the case.
Before Madrid was arrested Tuesday, authorities -- concerned that his alleged threat may have been prompted by mental illness -- took him to a hospital for evaluation.
The doctor examining him concluded that Madrid was not mentally ill "but has a severe anger problem," according to an affidavit by Secret Service Special Agent Kelly O'Hara.
According to the affidavit, Madrid admitted to threatening to kill the president in front of an LAPD officer.
Madrid's mother said her son allegedly made the initial threat against Bush during a conversation early last week with a former girlfriend, prompting her to call 911.
Madrid's attorney, Deputy Federal Public Defender Richard David Goldman, said the Secret Service was "duty bound" to investigate his client, but he hoped the U.S. attorney's office will reconsider going forward with the prosecution.
"I don't believe that these were true threats," said Goldman.
Source: Xinhua
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