Three men who authorities initially feared were plotting to
assassinate Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention are
facing only gun charges—signaling they never posed a real threat.
A federal law enforcement official in Denver said the three men and
woman arrested on Sunday are not expected to be charged with making
threatening statements, conspiracy or other national security-related
crimes.
It's possible—but unlikely—that additional charges could come later,
the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the
charges have not yet been filed.
One of the men was arrested near Denver with two rifles, ammunition,
walkie-talkies and suspected drugs. Federal officials say two other
men and a woman were apprehended a few hours later.
A news conference to discuss the charges is expected at 6 p.m. EDT
Tuesday.
The likelihood of an assassination attempt on Democratic presidential
candidate Obama was downplayed by law enforcement officials in
Colorado and Washington.
"We're absolutely confident there is no credible threat to the
candidate, the Democratic National Convention, or the people of
Colorado," U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said in a statement.
One of the men arrested told KCNC-TV, the CBS affiliate in Denver,
that others involved in the case had made racist statements regarding
Obama and had discussed killing Obama on the day of the speech.
When asked if he felt there was a plot to kill Obama, Nathan Johnson
said, "Looking back at it, I don't want to say yes, but I don't want
to say no." Johnson was interviewed while being held in jail on drug
charges. He said he wasn't involved in any plot.
Three senior FBI officials said it's unclear whether any of them were
serious about carrying out threats. The officials spoke on condition
of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.
A fourth federal official familiar with the investigation said an
assassination attempt was unlikely.
"The capability and their opportunity and what they had for their
weaponry—I don't see that they would have been able to carry it out,"
the official said on condition of anonymity because the investigation
is ongoing.
The action started around 1:30 a.m. Sunday when police in Aurora, a
suburb east of Denver, stopped a truck that was swerving erratically.
The driver, 28-year-old Tharin Gartrell, had a suspended driver's
license, and the truck was rented in the name of another person, said
Aurora police Detective Marcus Dudley.
In the truck, officers found two rifles, including one with a scope; a
bulletproof vest; boxes of ammunition; walkie-talkies; and suspected
narcotics. On edge because of heightened security surrounding the
Democratic convention in Denver, Aurora police alerted federal
authorities.
Later Sunday, federal agents arrested Johnson, 32, at a hotel in
Denver. He was held on drug charges. A half-hour later, 33-year-old
Shawn Robert Adolf jumped from a sixth-story window when authorities
tried to arrest him at a hotel in suburban Glendale, police said.
Adolf was hospitalized and was being held on $1 million bond for
several outstanding warrants involving drug charges. He had a handcuff
key in one hand and a swastika ring on the other when he was arrested,
a senior FBI official said.
Dudley said Gartrell was being investigated for methamphetamine and
firearms violations. Gartrell, who has no known address, was being
held at the Arapahoe County jail on $50,000 bail on drug and weapons
charges. The jail said he was due in court Thursday.
The third person arrested was a woman described by federal authorities
as the girlfriend of one of the men.
Law enforcement officials were also investigating whether the men were
linked to vandalism shootings that targeted at least two federal
buildings in Denver over the past two weeks. Windows were shot at the
U.S. Custom House and the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Station on
the same street in Denver's downtown Federal District.
Additionally, a bullet was recovered from a Hertz rental car that was
hit on Aug. 15, and authorities are now looking to see if it could
have matched the guns seized from the men.
___
Lara Jakes Jordan reported from Washington and Associated Press
writers P. Solomon Banda in Denver and Eileen Sullivan in Washington
contributed to this report.
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