by Frank James (see end of post for 8:15 pm ET update)
We don't know more than what the Associated Press and others are reporting about an alleged neo-Nazi skinhead plot fo kill Sen. Barack Obama and scores of everyday African-Americans.
But while this information is sad, disgusting and infuriating, it's not surprising.
Here's what AP is reporting:
By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal agents have broken up a plot to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and shoot or decapitate 102 black people in a Tennessee murder spree, the ATF said Monday.
In court records unsealed Monday, federal agents said they disrupted plans to rob a gun store and target a predominantly African-American high school by two neo-Nazi skinheads. Agents said the skinheads did not identify the school by name.
Jim Cavanaugh, special agent in charge of the Nashville field office for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the two men planned to shoot 88 black people and decapitate another 14. The numbers 88 and 14 are symbolic in the white supremacist community.
The men also sought to go on a national killing spree, with Obama as its final target, Cavanaugh told The Associated Press.
"They said that would be their last, final act -- that they would attempt to kill Sen. Obama," Cavanaugh said. "They didn't believe they would be able to do it, but that they would get killed trying."
The Obama campaign headquarters in Chicago had no comment, according to my colleague John McCormick.
Unfortunately, there are no doubt more individuals out there with plans just as evil.
---------------------- update -----------------------------
My colleague Christi Parsons tells me the FBI was not aware of this plot, according to a spokesman there.
Also, she's learned that the Capitol Police and Secret Service weren't apprised prior to the AP alert.
This leads her law-enforcement sources to doubt the maturity of the plot and the seriousness of the threat.
Also, the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms press release became available since I first published the post.
Here's the top of the press release which identifies the two men in law enforcement custody:
JACKSON, Tenn. -- Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tennessee and Paul Schlesselman, 18, of West Helena, Arkansas were charged in a federal complaint, Friday, Oct. 24, 2008, announced Lawrence J. Laurenzi, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, James Cavanaugh, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Richard Harlow, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Memphis Field Office; and Troy Klyce, Sheriff of Crockett County. The Criminal Complaint charges Cowart and Schlesselman with the illegal possession of a sawed off shotgun, conspiracy to rob a federal firearms licensee, and making threats against a major candidate for the office of president.
"The allegations set forth in this criminal complaint are serious and will be treated as such," said Lawrence J. Laurenzi, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. "The public can rest assured that federal, state and local law enforcement are diligently working together to investigate and prosecute the alleged activity."
According to the complaint, approximately one month ago, Cowart and Schlesselman met via the internet through a mutual friend and both claim to have very strong beliefs regarding "White Power" and "Skinhead" philosophy. Cowart and Schlesselman began discussing going on a "killing spree." The complaint further alleges that Cowart and Schlesselman discussed robbing a gun shop (federal firearms licensee) in order to gather weapons and ammunition. The complaint notes the defendants were in possession of a sawed off shotgun.
On Oct. 20, 2008, Cowart allegedly traveled from Tennessee to Arkansas to pick up Schlesselman in order to carry out their plan. The complaint states that at this time, the defendants further discussed their killing spree to include targeting a predominately African American school and to continue their spree until their final act of violence, which would be to attempt to assassinate Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. "The U.S. 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."
Comments
The Republican base in action. This is what makes the rhetoric and vicious atmosphere of the McCain/Palin rallies so dangerous.
Posted by: Mel | October 27, 2008 5:16 PM
Thank God there are people behind the scenes staying on top of this kind of threat. Ironically, it was just announced this morning that McCain DOES NOT SUPPORT AN ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN. SO MUCH FOR ANY PRETENSE THAT HE CARES WHEN SOMETHING TRAGIC SUCH AS VIRGINIA TECH HAPPENS...IF HE DID, HE'D SUPPORT THE BAN!!!!
Posted by: MDawson | October 27, 2008 5:51 PM
Aren't they some kind of RNC 527 group?
Posted by: TheReamer | October 27, 2008 6:33 PM
So let me summarize;
In the name of security Americans have lost their constitutional freedoms, but these security agencies still can't communicate with each other?
Posted by: C.Hussein.Morris | October 27, 2008 8:42 PM
Truely sad. The only good news is I doubt these two members of Al Gore's home state had the brains to pull this off. They don't look like the sharpest knives in the drawer.
The skinhead version of Bill Ayers
Posted by: Terry | October 27, 2008 10:16 PM
It doesn't help in the slightest to try to establish a causal connection between the Republican Party's campaign tactics and these guys' alleged plot; to do so is to make an ad hominem argument, a major failure in logic. Neo-Nazi skinheads have been trying to do this sort of stuff long before Obama even entered the election campaign. Further, a lot of the neo-Nazi skinhead action has been in *Europe,* where it has been a problem from many years. Are we to suppose the US Republican Party is responsible for all those European hate crimes perpetrated by European neo-Nazi skinheads? Let's be realistic. (No, I'm not a Republican. My affiliations are irrelevant -- except to logic and fairness.)
All that said, if these guys are found to be guilty, I hope they get hit with the maximum penalty on the books -- and not because their ultimate target was [allegedly, again] Obama. I'd want the same outcome if they had targeted, say, some dirt-poor African-American farmer. It's not the status of the target; it's the nature of the crime.
[Full Disclosure: I worked in public law enforcement and private security for years in the US through most of the 70's up to the early 80's. And I always took this sort of stuff and getting it right seriously. Still do.]
Posted by: Mekhong Kurt | October 27, 2008 11:52 PM
Hey Terry nice try to connect the obviously republican skin heads to Ayers. Has anyone ever heard of a hippie liberal plotting to kill Bush or any republican for that matter? Didnt think so.
Posted by: Scot S. Blakeley | October 28, 2008 8:41 AM
Terry....Have to say you did a wonderful job of minimizing the shear hate of some people. Gores' home state, Ayers, way to bring together Americans against hate crimes.
Posted by: bill "Hussein" r. | October 28, 2008 9:33 AM
Scottie,
Can you prove they were republicans? Hypothetically, if Alan Keyes were the GOP canidate, do you think these two knuckleheads would not have tried the same thing?
Billy,
I don't see where I minimized their hatred, I just attacked their lack of intellgence to pull this off. I see a William Ayers in his 20's and these two knuckleheads as being no differeent except that Billy Ayers grew up the son of a Commonwealth Edison Executive.
Who knows, maybe one of these two was just a budding young Senator Byrd.
Posted by: Terry | October 28, 2008 11:02 AM