Man Who Took Hostages at Hillary Clinton NH Campaign Office in 2007 Arrested for Bank Robbery

MANCHESTER, NH — A local man who was involved in a bizarre political hostage incident nine years ago was arrested for bank robbery after allegedly hitting the Citizens Bank on Elm Street in the Queen City yesterday. Leeland Eisenberg, 55, of Concord, was arrested on Aug. 2, 2016, and charged with robbery and possession of a controlled drug-crack cocaine.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Manchester Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the name removal request process for NH Patch police reports.

Police, according to Lt. Brian O’Keefe of the Manchester Police Department, received “several leads based on video surveillance” from the robbery, which occurred just after noon yesterday, and prepared a warrant for Eisenberg’s arrest. Two officers later spotted him in the area of the Valley Street Cemetery at just before 7 p.m. during an unrelated call for service.

“They observed Eisenberg walking in the cemetery, so they stopped him to confirm his identification,” O’Keefe noted. “Eisenberg was taken in to custody without incident. He was in possession of a small amount of cash, as well as 6.5 grams of crack cocaine.”

Eisenberg will be arraigned later today in Manchester District Court.

Eisenberg was convicted of holding hostages in Hillary Clinton’s Rochester campaign office in November 2007. He reportedly cited a television ad as the reason he was at the campaign office and claimed he had a bomb strapped to his chest, according to ABC News. After a six-hour siege, he was arrested. He also never actually had a bomb, according to reports. Eisenberg was sentenced to up to seven years in prison. Eisenberg escaped from a halfway house in 2013, but was caught not long after.