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2008-10-28 07:57:08
By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer Lara Jakes Jordan, Associated
Press Writer Mon Oct 27, 7:53 pm ET
WASHINGTON Two white supremacists allegedly plotted to go on a national
killing spree, shooting and decapitating black people and ultimately targeting
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, federal authorities said
Monday.
In all, the two men whom officials describe as neo-Nazi skinheads planned to
kill 88 people 14 by beheading, according to documents unsealed in U.S.
District Court in Jackson, Tenn. The numbers 88 and 14 are symbolic in the
white supremacist community.
The spree, which initially targeted an unidentified predominantly
African-American school, was to end with the two men driving toward Obama,
"shooting at him from the windows," the court documents show.
"Both individuals stated they would dress in all white tuxedos and wear top
hats during the assassination attempt," the court complaint states. "Both
individuals further stated they knew they would and were willing to die during
this attempt."
An Obama spokeswoman traveling with the senator in Pennsylvania had no
immediate comment.
Sheriffs' deputies in Crockett County, Tenn., arrested the two suspects
Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tenn., and Paul Schlesselman 18, of Helena-West
Helena, Ark. Oct. 22 on unspecified charges. "Once we arrested the defendants
and suspected they had violated federal law, we immediately contacted federal
authorities," said Crockett County Sheriff Troy Klyce.
The two were charged by federal authorities Monday with possessing an
unregistered firearm, conspiring to steal firearms from a federally licensed
gun dealer, and threatening a candidate for president.
Cowart and Schlesselman are being held without bond. Agents seized a rifle, a
sawed-off shotgun and three pistols from the men when they were arrested.
Authorities alleged the two men were preparing to break into a gun shop to
steal more.
Jasper Taylor, city attorney in Bells, said Cowart was arrested on Wednesday.
He was held for a few days in Bells, then moved over the weekend to another
facility.
"It was kept under lid until today," Taylor said.
Until his arrest, Cowart lived with his grandparents in a southern, rural part
of the county, Taylor said, adding that Cowart apparently never graduated from
high school. He moved away, possibly to Arkansas or Texas, then returned over
the summer, Taylor said.
Attorney Joe Byrd, who has been hired to represent Cowart, did not immediately
return a call seeking comment Monday. Messages left on two phone numbers listed
under Cowart's name were not immediately returned.
No telephone number for Schlesselman in Helena-West Helena could be found
immediately.
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 numbers 14 and 88 are symbols in skinhead culture, referring to a 14-word
phrase attributed to an imprisoned white supremacist: "We must secure the
existence of our people and a future for white children" and to the eighth
letter of the alphabet, H. Two "8"s or "H"s stand for "Heil Hitler."
Court records say Cowart and Schlesselman also bought nylon rope and ski masks
to use in a robbery or home invasion to fund their spree, during which they
allegedly planned to go from state to state and kill people. Agents said the
skinheads did not identify the African-American school they were targeting by
name.
Jim Cavanaugh, special agent in charge of the Nashville field office for the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, said authorities took the
threats very seriously.
"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."
He added: "They seemed determined to do it. Even if they were just to try it,
it would be a trail of tears around the South."
An ATF affidavit filed in the case says Cowart and Schlesselman told
investigators the day they were arrested they had shot at a glass window at
Beech Grove Church of Christ, a congregation of about 60 black members in
Brownsville, Tenn.
Nelson Bond, the church secretary and treasurer, said no one was at the church
when the shot was fired. Members found the bullet had shattered the glass in
the church's front door when they arrived for evening Bible study.
"We have been on this site for about 120 years, and we have never had a problem
like this before," said Bond, 53 and a church member for 45 years.
The investigation is continuing, and more charges are possible, Cavanaugh said.
He said there's no evidence so far that others were willing to assist
Cowart and Schlesselman with the plot.
At this point, there does not appear to be any formal assassination plan,
Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren said.
"Whether or not they had the capability or the wherewithal to carry out an
attack remains to be seen," he said.
Zahren said the statements about the assassination came out in interviews after
the men were arrested last week.
The Secret Service became involved in the investigation once it was clear that
an Obama assassination attempt was part of this violent far-reaching plot.
"We don't discount anything," Zahren said, adding that it's one thing for the
defendants to make statements, but it's not the same as having an organized
assassination plan.
Helena-West Helena, on the Mississippi River in east Arkansas' Delta, is in one
of the nation's poorest regions, trailing even parts of Appalachia in its
standard of living. Police Chief Fred Fielder said he had never heard of
Schlesselman.
However, the reported threat of attacking a school filled with black students
worried Fielder. Helena-West Helena, with a population of 12,200, is 66 percent
black. "Predominantly black school, take your pick," he said.