Arrested men 'no threat to Obama'

A group of suspected drug users arrested in Denver over the weekend with methamphetamine, guns and bulletproof vests made racist threats against Barack Obama but posed no true danger to the presidential candidate, US federal authorities said.

Mr Obama will be in Denver this week accepting the Democratic nomination.

The three men – all high on methamphetamine when arrested – are the subject of an assassination investigation but so far, authorities say, it appears that they had no capacity to carry out any attack on Mr Obama.

“The law recognises a difference between a true threat – one that can be carried out – and the reported racist rantings of a drug addict,” US Attorney Troy Eid said.

He said the men’s plans were “more aspirational, perhaps, than operational”.

The three have been charged with drug and weapons offenses but not with threatening to assassinate Mr Obama or with other national-security-related crimes.

Mr Obama will become the first black nominee for president by a major party at this week’s convention.

An affidavit released by Mr Eid’s office showed the investigation into alleged threats began with an unnamed female who was with the men – Tharin Gartrell, 28; Shawn Robert Adolf, 33; and Nathan Johnson, 32 – while they were doing drugs in a Denver hotel room last weekend.

The woman told police that the men were using racist language about Mr Obama and saying he shouldn’t live in the White House.

Adolf and Johnson made similar racist statements to police, but Mr Eid said authorities determined there was no firm plot to harm Mr Obama.

“A bunch of meth heads get together, we don’t know why they do what they do. ... People do lots of stupid things on meth,” Mr Eid said. “If you’re talking about a true threat, there has to be some evidence they’re not just talking about it or thinking about it, especially in a drug-induced state.”

Johnson told a Denver TV station that others involved in the case had made racist statements regarding Mr Obama and had discussed killing him on Thursday, the day of his acceptance speech at Invesco Field at Mile High.

“He don’t belong in political office. Blacks don’t belong in political office. He ought to be shot,” Johnson told KCNC-TV in a late-night interview from jail.

When asked whether he felt there was a plot to kill Mr Obama, Johnson said, “Looking back at it, I don’t want to say yes, but I don’t want to say no.” He said he wasn’t involved in any plot.

Gartrell was arrested after police in Aurora, a suburb east of Denver, stopped a truck that was swerving erratically early Sunday morning.

He had a suspended driver’s licence and the truck was rented in the name of another person, said Aurora police Detective Marcus Dudley.

Aurora police Lieutenant Bob Stef said police saw two scoped rifles, two wigs, camouflage clothing, a bulletproof vest and two walkie-talkies in the truck. A search also revealed 4.4 grams of what police believed to be methamphetamine and three IDs in other people’s names, Mr Stef said.