Two men have appeared in court after they were arrested in Tennessee yesterday over an alleged plot which included a plan to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Daniel Cowart and Paul Schlesselman were charged in a criminal complaint with making threats against a presidential candidate, illegal possession of a sawed-off shotgun and conspiracy to rob a gun dealer.
The plot did not appear to be very advanced or sophisticated, the court documents showed.
"We're unsure of their ability or if they have the wherewithal to carry out any of their threats," said a source close to the investigation.
Sen Obama will become the first black president in US history if he defeats Republican John McCain in next week's election. Concerns about Sen Obama's safety led the Secret Service to provide round-the-clock protection from early in his campaign.
The suspects met over the Internet about a month ago, said an affidavit filed by Brian Weaks, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
"The individuals began discussing going on a 'killing spree' that included killing 88 people and beheading 14 African Americans," police said.
The men stole guns from family members and also had a sawed-off shotgun. They planned to target a predominately black school, going state to state while robbing individuals and continuing to kill people, Weaks said in the affidavit.
"They further stated that their final act of violence would be to attempt to kill/assassinate presidential candidate Barack Obama," he said.
The men planned to wear white tuxedos and top hats during the assassination attempt, which would have involved driving as fast as they could towards Obama and shooting him from the windows of their car.
Cowart and Schlesselman were arrested last Wednesday in Crockett County in western Tennessee and made initial appearances in federal court in Memphis yesterday.
They remain in custody and are scheduled to return to court on Thursday for a detention hearing, the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper reported on its website.
They wrote racially motivated words and symbols on the exterior of Cowart's vehicle, including a swastika and the numbers "14" and "88" on the hood of the car.
The letter "H" is the eighth letter of the alphabet and in neo nazi circles, the numerals '88' represent code for the words "Heil Hitler."
"The US Secret Service takes all threats against presidential candidates seriously and is actively investigating the allegations," said Richard Harlow, special agent in charge of the Secret Service-Memphis Field Office. "The Secret Service does not comment on this type of investigation."
REUTERS