Possible Obama Assassination Plot in Denver -- Here is the Latest

Mainstream media are now confirming, and going beyond, the initial reports of a possible assassination plot against Barack Obama and the arrest of two men.

Following up an earlier TV report, NBC in Denver is now reporting, "Sources tell NBC the two men had tattoos and jewelry popular with white supremacists." It also notes that an unidentified source tells NBC, "There is no reason for someone [with a criminal record] to have rifles with scopes."

My Web research has found a home address for one of the men, Tharin Robert Gartrell, in Lakewood, Co. Local media have revealed that he is a local DJ and goes under the name Tharin Roberts. I have located his myspace page--as Tharin Roberts--which confirms and expands all this and includes his photo, which lines up with that of Gartrell.

The Denver Post has just led its Web piece with: "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." Another local news site reports a possible third arrest. But it could also just be a bunch of meth heads talking trash.

My Web search found that Gartrell, 28, attended Fort Morgan High School in Colorado from 1995 to 1999.

Update from ABC News at 10 p.m. ET: "A witness interviewed in the case said one of suspects allegedly said the guns were to be used to kill the Illinois senator, but authorities do not believe the alleged threat put Obama in immediate danger.....Authorities told ABC News the men had tattoos of white supremacist images."

Another update from CBS4 in Denver: "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.'"

Andrew Romano of Newsweek brings this amazing tidbit: "The hotel where the pair of would-be assassins' was staying: the Cherry Creek Hotel at 600 South Colorado Boulevard in Glendale. The hotel where NEWSWEEK's entire convention team is staying: the Cherry Creek Hotel at 600 South Colorado Boulevard in Glendale.

"Apparently, crack NEWSWEEK investigative reporter Mark Hosenball actually spied a couple of FBI agents lurking around the premises late last night. He's looking into the matter now, and we'll report back as soon as he hears more."

TMZ.com now has his mug shot (also see front page of Huff Post). AP has just now covered the story. If anyone wants to pay and search for his criminal and other records, go to:
http://www.whitepages.com/search/Rep...

Firearms and methamphetamine were seized. NBC: "An official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says there is concern about the arrest considering the Democratic National Convention kicked off in Denver on Monday. People convicted of a felony are not allowed to possess guns."

The earlier TV report from KUSA-TV in Denver kicked off with, "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 first man, identified by the station as Tharin Gartrell, 28, was charged with suspicion of being a felon in possession of a weapon after police found two rifles, a high-powered scope and methamphetamine in his car after the traffic stop.

When police accompanied Gartrell to his hotel in Glendale, a second man jumped from a window and was injured in a four-story fall, according to the station. That man was then arrested, but has not been identified by police.

Federal authorities are refusing to comment about why they believe the case is possibly tied to an assassination.

And more: "Its unclear precisely why authorities suspect the men were targeting Barack Obama, but one of the officer's who was briefed says he was told at least one of the suspects made statements to that effect. The Secret Service, ATF and the FBI are all involved in the investigation. A Secret Service spokesman says the agency is concerned by the proximity to the convention and the items found in the man's car."
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Greg Mitchell's new book is So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Failed on Iraq. He is editor of Editor & Publisher.

Comments

[rwe]

Sadly he and his family will need extraordinary protection. Specifically on stage ....If the story is being subdued for lack of real threats, then good, so that no publicity is given.. If the threats are real then let ivery one know ,,,,,,and maybe drop these guys off on the South side of Chicago .

[barackobama4prez]

Lord bless him. He's going to be in the open in that football stadium.

[grata2ude]

God watch over Barack. While there are political disagreements please don't allow small minded biggots silence the dialogue.

Never again.....­...please.

[slaxx]

do people like this really exist? seriously? (i'm being rhetorical here). i'm young, but i saw on t.v. a couple of months ago a quick scene from after JFK was assassinated and it was a group of white men holding a sign that read "ding dong the n****r lover's dead" and i couldn't believe it. and to think that those men are probably still alive today as are their children who we all know don't fall far from the tree.

i don't get it. i'll never get - any kind of discrimination - racism, sexism, anti-semetism, homophobia, etc.

[Magella]

FIVE THINGS YOU DONT KNOW ABOUT OBAMA

1. Did you know he love Burgers

2. Did you know one of his favourate song is title name; "Vanity" and song by Mystique GP and Willi Williams

3. Did you know that he likes comedy
4.Did you know that he watch news alot

5.Did you know that what he likes to do alot is smile.

If you didn't know now you know.

[DragonBuddha06]

Racism is a much bigger problem in this country than anyone would like to admit. There are plenty of bigots that will do almost anything to stop a black man from getting into the White House. For some reason, they think he will "stick it" to the white man for the injustices of the past or that he's just plain inferior and doesn't deserve the rights afforded to white americans. This thinking is very dangerous. These white-supremacists are too stupid to realize that over the last few decades, the unending list of rich white males has done nothing to help the middle class and has in fact caused a recession that is going to affect everyone except those 10% that control the majority of this nation's wealth.

[StinkyPete]

Cops: No evidence of Obama assassination plot
Three suspects are likely to only face gun charges, federal official says

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26398461/

**********

Nevermind.­..
Roseanne Roseannadanna

[LAB10]

This is awful.

[DuPageDem]

The MSM is fanning this one because fear sells. It's like the color-coded, terrorists­-want-to-k­ill-your-k­ids-in-the­-mall crap. Real assassins don't dress funny, carry hillbilly heroin or reveal their plans to the first patrol officer who pulls them over. This whole thing is at best a ratings joke, at worst a deliberate distraction. We won't learn about a real plot until it unfolds.

[doctorwang]

"Real assassins don't dress funny, carry hillbilly heroin or reveal their plans to the first patrol officer who pulls them over."
No doubt that they weren't the sharpest tools in the shed. However, meth use doesn't exclude the possibilty that they were capable/determined to carry out their plot. It is known that Timothy McVeigh and his friends had used meth. I'd say they were pretty successful in carrying out their scheme....­.

[DuPageDem]

Note I said carry, not use. These guys are rank amatuers, or wanted to get caught.

[larmarch5]

With the power to spy on Americans, the NSA, FBI and CIA should have no trouble rounding up domestic terrorists bent on disrupting the democratic process.

[tasukibeth1]

This is so upsetting, I am sick with worry. I hope his people will have the good sense to put him in a bullet-proof vest at the very least. I also hope that the visitors in the stadium will be vigilant and aware of their surroundings.

[rock2casbah]

You know the drill by now.

Take the tape off your window, put away the gas mask, and come out from underneath your bed. This is the fear and smear tactics of the right at its' best.

I assure you that plots are hatched all the time against candidates and presidents that you never hear about. This is just another MSM attempt at distraction from the convention. Trying to set the conversation and agenda this week. Now the whole conversation this week is supposed to be "assasination plots" instead of the DNC convention.

[zendem1]

I don't even want to think about it. Sickening.

[meanguy]

i'm certainly glad that these nutjobs were caught before someone got hurt...and i hope the secret service is up to the task of keeping ALL the candidates safe

[apduncan1]

I bet a dollar to a donut that there are more out there.

[jackie4444]

Its this mentality, meanguy, which lets the same pattern happen over and over and over.
Assassinations are not done by 'nutjobs'. Not EVER. The idea that 'nutjobs' can suddenly
intervene to remove a key leader insures a lingering fear among the populace that 'anything
can happen'. That fear is useful in manipulating public opinion in future instances where
similar events 'need' to occur. It ignores the reality that if it were so simple for 'nutjobs' to assess public figures, essentially no candidate would be guaranteed to survive his/her campaign.
The biggest red flag in the game is the level of 'coincidence'.

The 'lone assassin' lie has ripped the heart and soul out of America for 40 years. No one overseas buys the stories Americans gobble up as 'truth'. Read "Farewell, America" (for decades literally banned in the U.S. under its former title "America Burning"). 'Nutjobs' are offered up for public excoriation so that those who are actually responsible for murder carried out solely from cold-hearted greed and self-interest may continue to operate under the radar.

And its well past time we stopped slurping up the KoolAid - for Obama's sake - and for our own.

[meanguy]

you REALLY need to lose the tinfoil hat; no one is saying that it is simple for nutjobs to get to a public figure; but in order to keep a public figure safe, his/her protection has to get it right 'every time'...it only takes one loon out of all those planning to do something-just one-to get 'lucky' ONCE, and 'cancel christmas'

[BassMent]

"People convicted of a felony are not allowed to possess guns."

This made me laugh so hard I shot coffee out of my nose. What country is this "official" talking about here? Certainly not the USA.

On any weekend, 52 weeks a year, anyone with any kind of criminal background, psychological disorder or terrorist associations can walk into a gun show in this country and walk out with an arsenal, including semi-automatic assault weapons. Nothing is done to stop this activity, and nothing will be done.

Just last year, the NRA managed to get legislation passed that redefined certain kinds of semiautomatics as "curios," making their importation legal. And of course the usage of these weapons in street crimes immediately skyrocketed.

Yeah, felons are not allowed to possess guns... just like people under 21 are not allowed to drink. What a joke. This country is awash in firearms, and there are no meaningful laws to manage this reality. Thanks to the NRA's near-complete ownership of congress, we can't even keep a law on the books that says it's a bad idea for civilians to own military-grade assault weapons and armor-piercing cop-killer rounds.

[CitizenJ]

So what's your point? Nobody said felons never have guns. He said felons are not allowed to possess guns, i.e. it is illegal, i.e. they aren't supposed to have them.

I guess I just don't understand the rant.

[torrrep]

I'll be waiting for you to provide the date and the source to back up the claim that:

"Just last year, the NRA managed to get legislation passed that redefined certain kinds of semiautomatics as "curios," making their importation legal. And of course the usage of these weapons in street crimes immediately skyrockete­d."

It's funny that you make this statement yet you don't name one study or any type of weapons. You just make a general assertion. Back it up.

[BassMent]

It's in this month's Mother jones. The weapon is the Soviet semi-automatic rifle that pre-dated the AK-47 as standard issue in their military. It's called an SKK or something. I don't have the article in front of me, but police spokesmen from New York, New Jersey and I believe Minneapoli­s-St.Paul were all quoted regarding the sudden upsurge of the number of these weapons being used in crimes. And the reason was the change in the designation under federal law. Because the SKK (if that's the right name) was replaced by the more robust AK, the older weapon was allowed to be reclassified as a "curio" for collectors, whereupon all import restrictions were removed.

Of course, this is all moot, as importation isn't the main problem (although it exacerbates the problem, as the "curio" guns are selling for as little as $90). US gun manufacturers import parts for semi-auto assault weapons and assemble them here with a few US-made parts. They're so easy to buy it's ridiculous. Look in your Sunday paper for an ad for the next gun show and go attend. Ask one of the guys displaying semi-autos what you have to do to buy one (answer: pay him and the deal is done). Ask him if he knows how to convert it to full-auto. Many will tell you, or where you can learn how.

Seriously, try it. I did, just to see if the stories were true. They are.

[Soothsayer08]

As a black Obama supporter, when I heard this last night I wasn't surprised. As long as we have people, like talk radio hosts, still preaching hate, these kinds of idiots will still think they have a free pass to do this kind of thing. These rednecks should hope Obama gets elected. If they had half a brain they would realize that poor whites would benefit from and Obama administration, not suffer in it as would all poor people regardless of race. But no they only see a black man doing something they could never manage to do, run for president, be educated, be affluent, all of the things that they in their twisted minds, think only whites should be able to achieve. Sad and pathetic as they are, they are unfortunately not alone; there are more out there like them. I pray that God protects the Obamas.