More details about the suspected plot to assassinate Obama come trickling in as the police arrest a fourth person in connection with the possible plan. The LA Times has the story.
We knew then that authorities in suburban Aurora had stopped a pickup truck for swerving between lanes early Sunday morning in what they thought was a routine drunk driving incident.
But in the rented vehicle of Tharin Gartrell, a 28-year-old convicted felon, they found two high-powered scoped rifles, ammunition, sighting scopes, radios, a cellphone, a bulletproof vest, wigs, drugs and fake IDs.
According to Brian Masss of Denver’s KCNC Channel 4, under questioning Gartrell implicated two other men — Nathan Johnson, who is 32, and Shawn Adolph, who is 33 — and Johnson’s girlfriend, Natasha Gromack. Johnson also reportedly confirmed the plot to FBI and Secret Service interrogators.
One of the men, Adolph, reportedly wore a ring with the Nazi swastika. He was injured when he jumped out of a hotel window fleeing Secret Service agents. All are now in custody on drug and weapons charges
***Update*** Attempted Assassination On Obama
Three men and a woman have been arrested and FBI and secret service agents are investigating claims that there were plans to use a high-powered rifle with a telescopic sight to shoot Mr Obama at the Democratic Party’s four-day convention in Denver.
US law enforcement sources said one of the suspects had admitted travelling to Denver to kill the first African-American to be nominated for president.
The shooting was allegedly planned for Thursday, when the White House hopeful will be in the city to formally accept his party’s nomination for the November elections.
His speech is due to be made at the 75,000-seat Invesco stadium and the shooting would have been from a distance of at least 750 yards in front of almost 100,000 people.
The alleged plot was thwarted by local traffic police on a routine patrol.
It came to light on Sunday when the officers stopped a pick-up truck driving erratically in Aurora, less than 20 miles from the Democrats’ convention venue.
Two high- powered rif les with telescopic sights were found when pol ice searched the rented Dodge truck, which was being driven by 28-year-old Tharin Gartrell.
They also found camouf lage clothing, walkie-talkies, a bulletproof vest, licences in the names of other people and the drug methamphetamine. One of the rifles was listed as stolen from Kansas.
Police then went to Gartrell’s room at the Cherry Creek Hotel in Aurora to arrest a second man. As officers closed in, the man – said to be 33-year-old Shawn Robert Adolf – jumped from a sixth-floor window, landing on an awning before falling off and breaking his ankle.
Police said he was wearing a ring with a Nazi swastika and had links to Aryan Nation – a white supremacist group classified as a terrorist threat by the FBI.
The men may also have ties to outlawed biker group Sons of Silence.
A third man arrested at another hotel in Denver told police there was a plan to kill Mr Obama when he made his acceptance speech. He has been identified as Nathan Johnson, 32. Adolf and Johnson were today being held on drugs charges.
Newspaper reports in Denver said Johnson’s girlfriend Natasha Gromack was also arrested in connection with the alleged plot.
Gartrell has been charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon and methamphetamine. He was being held at the Arapahoe county jail on £27,000 bail and is due in court on Thursday.
Detective Marcus Dudley, of Aurora Police, would not say what tied the men together but said more arrests were possible.
He said federal officials had been alerted because of heightened security surrounding the Democratic convention.
“Clearly we found there are federal implications – otherwise we would not have notified them,” he said. ” The weapons clearly would cause great concern.”
A US government official familiar with the investigation said: “It could also turn out that these were nothing but a bunch of knuckleheads, meth-heads.”
Last month a man was arrested in Miami after making threats to assassinate Mr Obama.
Raymond Geisel had reportedly told others at a bail bondsman’s class that he wanted to kill the Illinois senator.
• Denver authorities were today processing about 100 people who were ar rested when police officers and protesters clashed about a mile from the site of the Democrats’ convention.
The confrontation erupted overnight as police in riot gear tried to disperse a crowd of about 300 people that was disrupting traffic near the Denver City and County Building.
Police said they were forced to use pepper spray when members of the crowd, some carrying rocks, rushed a police safety line.
But one protester said officers charged the group without warning.
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I would like to know why so many people have so much hatred in there hearts to even want to attempt to kill someone. Just because Barak Obama is African-American these people aren’t even thinking of him also being White. This hurts me so much because I am African-American to and this just show how much racism and hatred there still is. It’s very scary. Me and so many other’s are praying hat no harm is done to him or his family. And that is stronger than any of the hatred. God Bless.
Couldn’t Agree with you More Toa O’Neal. Unfourtunately I’m afraid this won’t be the last time stories like this will be in the news. Hopefully I am wrong though. Tuesday’s results couldn’t make me happier. Amazing to be an American right now. Take care, and congrats to us all for living in a better place than we did a month ago. _casper
I MADE A FEW MISTAKES…….
OBAMA HAS OPENED THE DOORS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR MANY AFRICAN AMERICANS. WE KNOW KNO WE CAN STEP OVER ANY BOUNDARIES. AND SUPRESSION IS NO LONGER AN ISSUE FOR US. I ADMIRE HIM FOR EVEN TAKING THE IGNIGITIVE TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT. THAT ALONE IS INSPIRATION. OBAMA = CHANGE AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THE GREAT LATE M.L.K JR WANTED(CHANGE)!!!
PEOPLE SHOULD LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE AND NOT SKIN COLOR.
AND I SUPPORT OBAMA ALL THE WAY.
HISTORY WAS MADE {~NOVEMBER 4, 2008~}
I STAND TALL AND PROUD.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT OBAMA COLOR YOU SEE A BLACKMAN. I’M A BLACKWOMAN WE BLACKPEOPLE ARE ALL MIXED WITH SOMETHING OBAMA IS AFRICAN AMERICAN A BLACKMAN. MY GRANDFATHER WAS IRISH BUT THE BLOODLINE GETS THINNER AFTER WHILE IF YOU SEE ME AND BARACK YOU SEE KNOW DIFFERENCE. I TRULY BELEIVE WHY WE ARE THE MOST HATED IS BECAUSE WE ARE A THREAT. WHEN WE ARE TOGETHER WE ARE POWERFUL. LOOK DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING WAS A POWERFUL MAN. SO WAS MALCOM X AND THE REST ALONE BUT WHEN TOGETHER. YOU CAN’T STOP US ACCEPT IT. THAT SHOWS HOW UNHAPPY PEOPLE ARE WITH THEMSELVES, IS IT WHY YOU HATED US SO MUCH MAYBE BECAUSE YOU WANT SOME COLOR TO YOUR SKIN. THE PROBLEM IS THEY DON’T LIKE WHO THEY ARE TO BE THE TRUTH. YOU WANT WHAT I GOT BUT YOU JUST AIN’T GOTTA!!!
Dang I can only imagine the stuff that is about to go down with all of this election hoopla..I bet we are going to be in a national state of emergency when something does happen to Barack..You know this is not going to be the last attempt..All hell is going to break loose in America..Just wait and see race riots and everything..watch!!