Top News

DENVER/KANSAS CITY (CBS) ― As presidential candidate Barack Obama makes his way to Denver, new details are coming out about the possible plot to assassinate him.

As CBS 2's Rob Johnson reports, four people were arrested in the alleged plot to shoot Obama during his Thursday night acceptance speech in Denver. All are now in custody on either drug or weapons charges.

The unprecedented security in Denver was stepped up after word of the possible plot. The feds, however, were downplaying the threat Tuesday night.

One U.S. Attorney in Denver called the group in custody "meth heads" who would not be capable of such an attack.

One of the suspects spoke exclusively to CBS Station KCNC-TV's investigative reporter Brian Maass from inside the Denver City Jail late Monday night and said his friends had discussed killing Obama.

"So your friends were saying threatening things about Obama?" Maass asked.

"Yeah," Nathan Johnson replied.

"It sounded like they didn't want him to be president?"

"Yeah," Johnson said.

Maass reported earlier Monday that one of the suspects told authorities they were "going to shoot Obama from a high vantage point using a ... rifle ... sighted at 750 yards."

Law enforcement sources told Maass that one of the suspects "was directly asked if they had come to Denver to kill Obama. He responded in the affirmative."

Johnson said for a third suspect, Shawn Robert Adolph, it was all about race.

"Did Shawn hate black people enough that he would want to kill somebody was running for president?" Maass asked.

"He made a comment in the past, and I can't honestly tell you how long ago in the past, that he didn't believe a black should be the leader of this country," Johnson replied.

The story began emerging Sunday morning when Aurora, Colo., police arrested Tharin Gartrell, 28. He was driving a rented pickup truck in an erratic manner, according to sources.

Sources told KCNC-TV that police found two high-powered, scoped rifles in the car along with camouflage clothing, walkie-talkies, wigs, a bulletproof vest, a spotting scope, licenses in the names of other people and 44 grams of methamphetamine. One of the rifles is listed as stolen from Kansas.

Aurora police alerted federal officials because of heightened security surrounding the Democratic convention, Aurora police Detective Marcus Dudley said.

"Clearly we feel that there are federal implications -- otherwise we would not have notified those agencies," Dudley said Monday night. "The weapons clearly would cause great concern."

Subsequently authorities went to the Cherry Creek Hotel in Glendale to contact an associate of Gartrell's. But that man, identified as Adolph, 33, who was wanted on numerous warrants, jumped out of a sixth floor hotel window. Law enforcement sources say Adolph broke an ankle in the fall and was captured moments later. Sources say he had a handcuff ring and was wearing a swastika, and is thought to have ties to white supremacist organizations.

Nathan Johnson, 32, an associate of Gartrell and Adolph, was also arrested Sunday morning. He told authorities that the two men had "planned to kill Barack Obama at his acceptance speech."

"He don't belong in political office. Blacks don't belong in political office. He ought to be shot," Johnson told Maass.

"Do you think they were really plotting to kill Obama?" Maass asked.

"I don't want to say yes. I don't want to say no," he said.

Johnson's girlfriend Natasha Gromek is also under arrest on drug charges.

The Secret Service, FBI, ATF and the joint terrorism task force are all investigating the alleged plot. Dudley didn't say what tied the men together but said more arrests were possible.

Officials with the U.S. Attorney's office in Denver said they do not believe there is a credible threat to Obama or the convention.

"It's premature to say that it was a valid threat or that these folks have the ability to carry it out," said a U.S. government official familiar with the investigation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said the case was under investigation.

"We're absolutely confident there is no credible threat to the candidate, the Democratic National Convention, or the people of Colorado," Eid said in a prepared statement.

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.

CBS 2's Rob Johnson contributed to this report.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)