Obama Assassination Plot Investigated, No Credible Threat Found

***UPDATE 8/26, 6:30 PM***

Following the press conference, the Associated Press reports that the men were no "true" threat to Obama.

U.S. Attorney Troy Eid (EYED) describes the men as "meth heads" who weren't capable of such an attack.



The investigation was triggered after police in the Denver suburb of Aurora stopped a truck that was swerving erratically early Sunday. Police say they found two high-powered rifles, two wigs, camouflage clothing, a bulletproof vest and two walkie-talkies in the truck. They say they also found three IDs in other people's names and what they believe to be methamphetamine.



The three men arrested Sunday face drug and gun counts.

Click here to read the whole story

strong>***UPDATE 8/26, 11 AM***

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.

The US Attorney handling the case stated that there was never a credible threat against Obama, and will be holding a press conference today 4 PM Denver time (6 PM, EST). More details as they arrive.

***UPDATE*** The FBI is now investigating reports of a possible assassination plot against Barack Obama:

The FBI is looking into reports in Denver media outlets that a man under investigation for drug and weapons violations may have made threats against Barack Obama, officials said Monday.

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"It's premature to say that it was a valid threat or that these folks have the ability to carry it out," said a U.S. government official familiar with the investigation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

Law enforcement sources told CBS affiliate KCNC in Denver that one of the suspects "was directly asked if they had come to Denver to kill Obama. He responded in the affirmative."

Obama will be in Denver this week to accept the Democratic nomination for president.

FBI spokeswoman Kathy Wright confirmed the FBI was investigating the reports but declined to elaborate. The Joint Information Center - a command set up by Denver, state and federal authorities to field media inquiries during the Democratic convention - had no immediate comment.

***UPDATE*** The Denver Post reports that authorities will hold a press conference tomorrow to discuss the disruption of a possible Obama assassination plot:

Federal authorities have scheduled a press conference for Tuesday afternoon amid reports that a fortunate traffic stop by Aurora Police may have disrupted an assassination attempt against Barack Obama.

The Rocky Mountain News reports that police in Colorado are investigating a possible plot to assassinate Barack Obama:

Law enforcement authorities have arrested two men, and several law enforcement sources say the investigation is looking into whether the men intended to harm presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.

According to multiple sources, Aurora police made a routine traffic stop Sunday morning at 2:38 a.m. The Secret Service says two rifles were found in the car along with methamphetamine. Another law enforcement source says he was told at least one of the rifles was a "sniper rifle."

A second source told CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass authorities told officers they are concerned they may have come upon a possible "assassination plot."

Comments

[THEhillbilly]

"...camouf­lage clothing..­."

That oughta blend into the background in town or in that stadium. This is probably the item that alerted those cops.

[BannedInBoston]

"You fellas can run along, now. Just don't do it again, hear?"

[packrat9940]

I heard and read that one of these suspects arrested "ADMITTED" to the police his step by step of his assassination plot he was planning on doing , even that they was going to be pearched on a high building while Obama was giving his speech at Ivesco field and shoot him, they found several shotguns with a long range scope, lots of ammo and drugs in the car.......­.... and the Colorado police say they don't have any credible evidence that there was a plot to kill Obama on thursday?
"UNBELIEVABLE" !!!
Maybe the Colorado police aren't Obama fans so they are turning a blind eye, this is completely un-real, so they've been charged with weapons and drug charges, they'll slap their wrists and release them so they can carry out their plan, I heard there was 4 men arrested in relation to this plan.

[LibDrummer]

Maybe the Colorado police will blame the Bohnette family on this one too.

[ArjenBoatsma]

These guys are the Beavis and Butthead of assassins!

[doctorwang]

John Hinckley Jr. was certifiably loony....a­nd look at how close he came to killing Reagan. If he had used a higher caliber handgun Reagan would have died that day.

These guys had all the right equipment.­....

[TOOO]

Do you know what really bothers me? I fear that if Senator Obama were gunned down, the country would just sadly turn away, there would be a few "oh, isn't it terrible what happened?" comments over the water cooler, and then... back to business as usual.

[meltingpot101]

I totally disagree, but hopefully we will NEVER find out. We need him.

[sillymongoose23]

you know i felt that way for sometime and then i looked around me and said that would be the last straw... that would be the last thread and America would snap...

[navy62802]

Cities would burn...

[1conservative]

like Los Angeles after the Rodney King verdict?

[Obama08Supporter]

I think the country would spiral into a mass of blood everywhere. Seriously, I don't think even the most sound minded African Americans, Whites, or Latinos that have supported this process would be able to maintain their integrity on this one. I think it would be all out war.

[navy62802]

This incident should remind us all of the very real dangers Obama is facing. He is a hero for standing up despite these sorts of threats. We could only be so lucky to have him lead us.

[BargeAtwil]

I didn't hear anybody actually say there was any actual threats to Obama other than the fact that they had guns and were close to Denver, however stating they were 'meth heads' isn't really any kind of decriminalization. Meth heads can be highly motivated and paranoid lol, not the kind of thing that would make me sigh in relief.

[formerprosecutor]

Did you read the artcile(s) ?; or follow the links?

"But the television station reports that under questioning the men admitted there was indeed a plot to kill Obama during his speech before some 70,000 supporters and a nationwide television audience."

[doctorwang]

Did you read the article above?

"Law enforcement sources told CBS affiliate KCNC in Denver that one of the suspects "was directly asked if they had come to Denver to kill Obama. He responded in the affirmativ­e."

"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."

[geobushono]

lone nuts with guns....wh­at could be so wrong about that?.....­...and the cops shoot up wedding parties...­...I guess they must know...the­y're the authorities.

[Eric8869]

You can drink & drive as a Chicago Cop and kill two people and not have "enough evidence to prosecute" - all you need is a badge to get away with anything.

[Ranta]

What if it was drunken Muslims? ( I used to play soccer with some). And what if they had a vague plot to kill John McCain.
I guarantee you, it would be on the news 24/7 right through the election.

[Awash]

I not totally sure that we would get 24/7 coverage more than 2 or 3 days even if he was shot. After all he's not a blonde, or a perky teenager.

[MeanGreenMachine]

Roving bands of armed White Supremacists wired to the gills hunting a US Senator.

What's the problem? This happens in America everyday!

"Nothing to see here, move along."

[Yasir]

The fix of the mix needs not tricks.

[toddausaurus]

Oh my goodness, just reading the hysteria here is so laughable. Obviously it was a couple of losers who had no means of doing something that awful. I think there is some face-saving going on here because there was a lot of crying wolf going on before everyone realized (thank God) it was a bogus threat. Man, rationality is going right ot the window. I guess if Obama goes up in the polls most people here will calm down again. There's so much name calling and hate here, quite amusing actaully.

[meltingpot101]

These guys voiced their will. They had guns, they had walkie talkies, they had Bullet Proof Vest. This is planning, they took action. This is PREMEDITATION.

In your opinion, what is it that makes these guys "losers?" That they didn't get the CHANCE to attempt it.

And your amused...M­ichelle, Malia, Sasha, Todd here is amused.

Considering the history of this country, I am anything but amused.

[doctorwang]

Nah- they had nothing planned. Even though they admitted they did. And they did have the right rifle, and ammunition, and walkie talkies, and bullet proof vests, and a hotel room within a reasonably close proximity to the convention center. They were probably just out doing some shopping for curtains..­. or perhaps throw rugs.

BTW: It only took a couple of "losers" to fill a U-Haul truck with fertilizer and diesel fuel - and only one to drive it to the Federal Building in Oklahoma. All it took was a few "losers" armed with only box cutters to bring our nation to a standstill.

[metalpipe]

Good points, all.

[dogman44]

Nothing amusing about hate. It's dangerously irrational.

[FBatRNC]

toddausaurus What do you mean they didn't have the means to pull it off? They had several rifles, one of which was sighted at 750 yards. They also had bulletproof vests, wigs, and fraudulent iD's and two way radios. Just because someone is on drugs (and methamphetamine is a very nasty drug) does not mean they don't have the capability to pull off an assassination plot. One of the men made this statement to the police "[Obama] don't belong in political office," Nathan Johnson, 32, told a TV station in Denver. "Blacks don't belong in political office. He ought to be shot." These men also have ties to white-supremacist groups. Another statement made by one of the men was "[We were] going to shoot Obama from a high vantage point using a . . . rifle . . . sighted at 750 yards," he told Denver's KCNC-TV. This is your idea of "no means" to pull it off? You must either be delusional or naive, possibly both. All of this evidence including a confession and what do we do? We give these idiots news interviews and charge them with minor drug and gun offences. People are convicted and executed on less evidence then this. Open your eyes a little.

[meanguy]

ever tried to HIT a target at that range? i'm not trying to minimize this, but i don't see how a carful of crankheads could have pulled off an assassination like what is being passed around...i keep seeing references to 'law enforcement sources' which could be anyone from an actual police officer to a security guard at the neares strip mall...sou­nds like rumor and fear jumping ahead of facts...i'­d be interested more in what those directly involved have to say

[formerprosecutor]

Depends on the agencies definition of "real threat". If they meant they didn't THINK the two suspects could breach security and pull it off; that's just an opinion (aka guess). If they meant the men didn't really intend to attempt to carry out the plan, the evidence contradicts that premise. If they are just trying to minimize the incident, for various reasons (such as giving other people ideas, disrupting the convention, creating panic, or taking the focus from policital issues and focusing on fear) , which is the most probable reason for the recent information release. Too late, I am frightened for Obama and for us.

[FaceYourFears]

That's the same thing friends and family of James Earl Ray said. When the hell is saying you're gonna kill another person not a threat.

[rdlmorgan]

I agree. All threats need to be taken seriously. Safety and security is my business. That's why I support the possession and use of non-lethal forms of protection for everyone. Mr. Obama has the Secret Service to watch over him but what about us. Law inforcement is good but they can not be all places at all times and if my life is threatened, I need some form of protection available at that moment. You can't be too careful.

[UnbiasView]

There is not a way you can eliminate all guns from this country . . . we can't even close our borders. You can make it illegal but ask yourself how many criminals care.

How has that DC gun ban worked for the murder rate?

[BruntLIVE]

Everyone knows talk radio, specifically Republican talk show hosts will be held responsible if anything happens to Obama. I suggest they change their tones on the air cause some Americans are easily swayed and lead.

[UnbiasView]

"Everyone knows talk radio, specifically Republican talk show hosts will be held responsible if anything happens to Obama"

Who would hold them responsible and for what?

Do you support massive restrictions on speech because I have never heard them say go inflict injury on any candidate?

The media would never mention it because they know that some crazy could be a listener of their program and take things the wrong way as well.

[kjs]

Im with you UnbiasView. It seems free speech only applies without criticism on the left side of the aisle. I listen to talk radio from the left and right , and while their views may be unpopular with the opposing side, I have not heard anything that should incite violence. There are countless nuts roaming this Earth, but individuals are responsible for their own actions. Other peoples' opinions are not . The day we hold people who hold any "opinion" responsible for a crime that some other nut commits is the day we lose our freedom of speech and freedom to an opinion. I, for one, like those rights.

[Cassie129]

If this were a plot against McCain, they'd be all over it. But if it's against Obama? Meh. Couldn't care less. Typical.

[pennst8er]

I was reading some posts on the OFFICIAL McCaign campaign website blog (I know...I feel so dirty) and was amazed that there are posts actively calling for an attempt on Obama's life...I say 'posts', even though I only read one, I am extrapolating based on the sheer volume of replies... I just couldn't bear to sift through any more. This isn't some random blog, this is his official site!

[bibb]

Don't feel dirty. Sometimes you have to wade through the mud to see what sh*t the other side is putting out. The McCain camp should be held responsible to stirring up potential violence.

[meanguy]

"I was reading some posts on the OFFICIAL McCaign campaign website blog (I know...I feel so dirty) and was amazed that there are posts actively calling for an attempt on Obama's life"
----------­----------­----------­--------
ssorry, scooter, i call "BS" ...let's have the proof---it's 'put up or shut up' time...so far you've already admitted to changing ONE post to 'posts'...­how much else are you exaggerating, spinning, or just flat-out inventing????