NATIONAL BRIEFING / NEW JERSEY
A Newark Liberty International Airport security guard allegedly overheard saying he had “cut a hole in a fence to be able to shoot” Barack Obama pleaded not guilty to making terrorist threats against the president.
John Brek appeared via video feed from the Essex County Jail, where he has been held since his arrest Tuesday night.
Municipal Judge Amilkar Velez-Lopez rejected the state’s request to raise Brek’s bail to $500,000, and instead raised it from $100,000 to $200,000.
Brek, 55, also pleaded not guilty to possession of hollow-point bullets, which is prohibited in the state, and to receiving stolen property for allegedly having a stolen gun among the more than 40 firearms recovered from his residence. The bail on those charges remained at $20,000.
An airline worker on Tuesday afternoon heard Brek saying he “cut a hole in a fence to be able to shoot” Obama, according to the arrest warrant.
Obama arrived in Newark on Wednesday to campaign for Gov. Jon S. Corzine.
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