SECURITY concerns about the safety of Barack Obama are growing after US federal authorities yesterday charged two white supremacists with plotting to assassinate the Democratic presidential candidate.
Prosecutors in Tennessee charged the two men, Daniel Cowart, 20, and Paul Schlesselman, 18, with planning to kill Mr Obama as part of a "killing spree" targeting African Americans.
Both men were arrested following an abortive robbery last wee
k, after which authorities found details of their plot which included plans to shoot or decapitate 102 black children at a state high school.
The case follows the arrest of three white supremacists in late August near the Democratic National Convention in Denver, with weapons including a high powered sniper rifle they had planned to use to kill Mr Obama during his football stadium acceptance speech.
Jim Cavanaugh, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the two men planned to rob a gun store, then target a predominantly African American high school, killing 88 and decapitating 14.
Mr Cavanaugh said: "They said that would be their last, final act – that they would attempt to kill Senator Obama. They didn't believe they would be able to do it, but that they would get killed trying."
He added that authorities took the threats very seriously. He said: "They seemed determined to do it. Even if they were just to try it, it would be a trail of tears around the South."
The court documents say the two men met about a month ago on the internet and found common ground in their shared "white power" and "skinhead" philosophy.
The records say Cowart and Schlesselman also bought nylon rope and ski masks to use in a robbery or home invasion to take money to finance their spree, during which they allegedly planned to go from state to state and kill people.
For the Obama plot, the legal documents show, Cowart and Schlesselman "planned to drive their vehicle as fast as they could toward Obama shooting at him from the windows". Both men stated they would dress in white tuxedos and wear top hats during the assassination attempt.
The arrests have put election officials across the country on edge amid fears that other groups may be plotting similar actions.
As with the August plotters, prosecutors say the Tennessee men communicated by e-mail and the search is on for further conspirators.
The charges came as both Mr Obama and the Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, held rallies to unveil their final appeals to voters with the election now a week away.
Security has long been an issue with Mr Obama, who has had Secret Service protection for more than a year, much longer than other candidates.
Prosecutors say the two men appeared to lack the sophistication to carry out the attack.
The arrests come as the election campaign yesterday entered the home straight. Mr Obama presented what he termed his "closing argument", repeating the central mantra of his campaign, that the Bush administration has enriched itself and its cronies at the expense of everyone else, and that Mr McCain promises more of the same policies.
"The last thing we can afford is four more years of the tired, worn-out old theory that says we should give more to billionaires and big corporations and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else," the Democratic candidate said.
And in a swipe at his Republican rival, Mr Obama accused Mr McCain of using character attacks to divert voter's attention from the economy.
Mr Obama said: "That's why he (Mr McCain] is spending these last weeks calling me every name in the book. Because that's how you play the game in Washington: if you can't beat your opponent's ideas, you distort those ideas, and maybe make some up."
Meanwhile, in Cleveland, the biggest Ohio city, Mr McCain claimed that Mr Obama had plans for "a trillion dollars of new spending".
However, having acknowledged over the weekend that he and the president, George Bush, as fellow Republicans, share some economic philosophies, he appeared to perform a U-turn yesterday.
"We (Mr Obama and Mr McCain] both disagree with president Bush on economic policies. My approach is to get spending under control," Mr McCain said.
He added that the difference between himself and Mr Obama was that: "He thinks taxes have been too low, and I think that spending has been too high".
The full article contains 744 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
