Washington ( CNN ) -- An Idaho man accused of trying to assassinate President Barack Obama by shooting at the White House pleaded not guilty , as expected , in federal court Tuesday . Oscar Ortega-Hernandez will remain in custody until his trial , a date for which has not yet been scheduled . He appeared in a dark blue prison jumpsuit at his brief arraignment hearing before Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson . He was indicted last week on 17 criminal counts . Prosecutors say Ortega-Hernandez fired a Romanian-made assault rifle out of the window of his car the evening of November 11 . After allegedly sending a number of rounds toward the White House , he sped away toward a bridge leading to the Virginia suburbs , but crashed his vehicle and fled on foot , officials say . A court document says Ortega-Hernandez 's fingerprints were found on ammunition magazines left in a 1998 Honda , but not on the weapon itself , which also was left in the car . Neither the president nor his family was at home at the time of the incident . Ortega-Hernandez said nothing at Tuesday 's hearing , but appeared alert , nodding and smiling at the judge as the hearing concluded . He wore a heavy beard and was not in restraints . An FBI agent had testified at an earlier hearing that bullets found embedded in the White House residence came from Ortega-Hernandez 's assault weapon . The 21-year-old man claimed after his arrest that he had been car-jacked by a man with a gun on the day of the crime , and said his assailant must have been responsible for the shooting , according to court filings . He also allegedly told the officers he never owned a gun , but the government cited two witnesses from Idaho confirming the rifle left in the car belonged to Ortega-Hernandez . A federal public defender representing Ortega-Hernandez had previously claimed inconsistent witness statements raised doubts about whether he was the shooter . Attorney David Bos cited one witness who said the shooter was driving a yellow van . Police had said Ortega-Hernandez was driving a dark-colored sedan . Bos did not object Tuesday when the magistrate ruled the defendant would continue to be held behind bars . Another hearing is scheduled for next month . Ortega-Hernandez was captured at a Pennsylvania motel days after the incident . He told police he hitchhiked and walked from the District of Columbia . Another federal judge previously ruled him competent to stand trial . Ortega-Hernandez has been interviewed at least once by a psychologist , and the doctor said he is able to understand the allegations against him and to aid in his defense . In court documents , prosecutors argue Ortega-Hernandez is dangerous and planned out his alleged crime over a period of months . If convicted of attempting to assassinate the president , Ortega-Hernandez would face a maximum sentence of life in prison .
Oscar Ortega-Hernandez will remain in custody until his trial . He was indicted last week on 17 criminal counts . He is accused of shooting a rifle at the White House in November .