Two white supremacists accused of plotting to kill United States President-elect Barack Obama and 88 other black people have pleaded not guilty to federal charges in Tennessee.
Although originally arrested on firearms and conspiracy charges on Oct. 22, Daniel Cowart, 20, of Tennessee, and Paul Schlesselman, 18, of Arkansas, were charged again in a superseding indictment on Nov. 20 with civil rights conspiracy, damage to religious property and use of a firearm during a crime of violence. They are being held without bond.
According to testimony by Cowart and Schlesselman, the two men met on-line sometime in early September and became fast friends “through a mutual hatred of other races.” They quickly turned their hatred into action, planning to kill 88 random, black U.S. citizens, including Obama. An Obama spokeswoman traveling with the President-elect had no immediate comment.
The men also planned on beheading 14 of their 88 victims due to a set of white supremacist beliefs set down by imprisoned leader David Lane, Cowart told Tennessee judges. Lane created the 14 word phrase, “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children,” which has become symbolic in neo-Nazi culture. Schlesselman went on to explain that 88 victims were chosen because the number 88 is a neo-Nazi symbol that stands for “Heil Hitler” because H is the 8th letter of the alphabet and two consecutive H’s are the code for the Nazi cry. 
The killing spree was initially set down to target a predominately black school, which was not identified in court documents. It was to end with Cowart and Schlesselman – dressed in white tuxedos and top hats – blasting guns from the windows of a speeding vehicle aimed at Obama, authorities said. Both men said they expected to die in the attack.
Cowart and Schlesselman were originally arrested on Oct. 22 in Crockett County, Tennessee after they wrote “numerous racially motivated words and symbols,” including a swastika, on the exterior of Cowart’s car with chalk, the Crockett County sheriff’s deputies said. An assortment of firearms were found in Cowart’s home during the arrest, which led the Sheriff’s department to turn the men over to federal authorities.
“Even if they were just to try it, it would be a trail of tears around the South,” Nashville Special Agent Jim Cavanaugh said. “Whether or not they had the capability or the wherewithal to carry out an attack remains to be seen.”
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