FBI investigate ‘plot to kill’ Obama

Three men and one woman have been arrested for plotting to assassinate Barack Obama on Thursday, the day that he is set to take the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado and accept the nomination as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. One of the male suspects told Denver police that he was "going to shoot Obama" at the 75,000-seat Invesco stadium "from a high vantage point using a rifle sighted at 750 yards".

Police found two high-powered rifles, boxes of ammunition, a rifle scope, a bullet-proof vest, walkie-talkies and methamphetamine in a truck rented by 28-year-old Tharin Gartrell (pictured). One of the suspects "was directly asked if they had come to Denver to kill Obama. He responded in the affirmative", a police spokesperson said.

It is understood the group may have ties to an outlaw biker gang called Sons of Silence, which is believed to have connections with white supremacists. However, federal sources have said that the incident may have had more to do with drugs than with a plot to assassinate Obama.

"It could turn out that these were nothing but a bunch of knuckleheads, meth heads," one US government source claimed. However the alleged plot is being investigated by the FBI, the Secret Service and the joint terrorism task force.

Meanwhile Obama's wife Michelle Obama has addressed the Democratic National Convention in Denver, giving a passionate and personal account of life with her husband. Her first major speech, delivered to more than 4,000 delegates, was intended to persuade sceptical working-class voters that the Obamas, with their "blue-collar" roots and despite the "funny name", share the values of ordinary Americans.

"I love this country," declared Michelle Obama, before going on to praise Hillary Clinton for her role in advancing the cause of women in her bid to become the Democratic nominee. She also insisted that "the Barack Obama I know today is the same man I fell in love with 19 years ago".