Unfortunately, it’s looking like there is some substance to the reports of an assassination plot:
CBS4 has now learned at least four people are under arrest in connection with a possible plot to kill Barack Obama at his Thursday night acceptance speech in Denver. All are being held on either drug or weapons charges.
CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass reported one of the suspects told authorities they were “going to shoot Obama from a high vantage point using a … rifle … sighted at 750 yards.”
Law enforcement sources tell Maass that one of the suspects “was directly asked if they had come to Denver to kill Obama. He responded in the affirmative.”
More details will be revealed by federal authorities Tuesday but what is leaking out is disturbing:
Authorities told ABC News the men had tattoos of white supremacist images.
It also sounds like they were better prepared than initially reported:
The station said police found two high-powered, scoped rifles in the car along with camouflage clothing, walkie-talkies, a bulletproof vest, a spotting scope, licenses in the names of other people and methamphetamines.
There are conflicting stories so we really won’t know what’s going on until the Tuesday briefing:
NBC News has learned that federal officials are downplaying the arrests, saying when one of the men was arrested, he made a threat against Obama, but they do not believe it was based on any kind of plan or actually intent.
“It looks like one guy just made a remark trying to act important,” one federal official told NBC News.
However, other sources have told 9NEWS the three men may be connected to skinheads and that it appears they were involved in an assassination plot.
Politically motivated violence poses a grave threat to our democracy. Kudos to Colorado law enforcement for doing an amazing job in unraveling this plot, if it can be called that, in an incredibly short amount of time.
2 Responses
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August 26th, 2008 at 4:32 am
It so strange to see all major european media cover this story, but no major american media group cover this story after 12 hours.
I guess the major American Media groups think people should not be concerned!
Strange to say the least!
August 28th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
I dont think this was a complete true story. Its just seems like something that the news stations would make up, to try to give more attention to obama. Just trying to stir up more problems for the democratic nominee, obama. I dont get why they were in denver if obama at the time was not even there? Even how they caught seems a little fake…to me it just seems a bit early for a threat like this.