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. 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.They planned to rob a gun store and go on a murderous rampage, with the black Democrat candidate their final target, court records revealed last night.
Source: Daily Mail