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Obama shrugs off skinhead death plot
Paul Thompson28 Oct 2008
BARACK OBAMA is refusing to alter his schedule of high-profile appearances despite increasing fears about his safety.
Security has been stepped up around the Democratic presidential candidate after federal agents foiled a plot by two racists to kill him.
Tomorrow he will appear alongside Bill Clinton in Florida where a crowd of more than 100,000 is expected.
Florida is known to be home to a large number of white supremacists with the group Stormfront based in the Palm Beach area.
Extra police are likely to be drafted in for the rally with access to Mr Obama restricted to those who have been vetted by his campaign team and undergone stringent security checks.
As the US election enters its final week, and the Democratic presidential candidate remains ahead in almost every poll, concerns remain high among some party members that an attempt on his life could be made.
Mr Obama's bid to become the first black president of America has stirred up hatred among white supremacists.
In August, three men with suspected links to white power groups were arrested with rifles and a telescopic sight amid fears of a plot to assassinate Mr Obama during the Democratic convention.
As details of the latest plot emerged it was revealed that secret service agents guarding the senator were unaware of it.
According to CBS TV, the Obama campaign only found out about it when his plane landed in Pittsburgh yesterday afternoon.
Daniel Cowart, 20, and Paul Schlesselman, 18, appeared in court on Friday flanked by agents from the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives Agency.
The agency is supposed to share information with the secret service but the 12 agents assigned to Mr Obama had not been told about the threat.
The two skinheads were arrested on Wednesday after shooting at a church in Brownsville, Tennessee.
During interviews with ATF agents the men said they planned to die while carrying out their killing spree.
They had wanted to kill 102 black people with their final victim being Mr Obama.
Court documents outlining the plot were released in Memphis, Tennessee. Cowart, from Bells, Tennessee, and Schlesselman, from Arkansas, met on the internet a month ago and have "very strong beliefs and views regarding white power and skinhead views," according to the affidavits. Agent Brian Weaks said that Cowart had bought one rifle and stockpiled two guns, both stolen from his grandfather.
They planned to steal another rifle from a gun shop as well as a series of robberies to finance their murder spree. "Schlesselman stated that they planned to drive their vehicles as fast as they could toward Mr Obama, shooting at him from the windows," said Mr Weaks.
"Both individuals stated they would dress in all white tuxedos and wear top hats during the assassination attempt. Both individuals further stated they knew they would and were willing to die during this attempt."
Jim Cavanaugh of the ATF said the two planned to shoot 88 black people and decapitate another 14.
The number 88 is an abbreviation of Heil Hitler as H is the eighth letter of the alphabet and 14 refers to a 14-word slogan coined by American white supremacist leader David Lane who is serving a 190-year jail sentence.
