FBI probing possible threat to Obama's life, 3 held

UNDER THREAT: Obama will be in Denver this week to accept the Democratic nomination for president.

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New Delhi: US authorities are investigating a possible threat to Senator Barack Obama during the Democratic Convention in Denver.

The FBI has arrested a 28-year-old man called Tharin Gartrell with two telescopic rifles.

Gartrell was arrested during a traffic stop early on Sunday by police in the eastern Denver suburb of Aurora. In his truck, officers found two rifles, including one with a telescopic sight, a bulletproof vest, boxes of ammunition, walkie-talkie radios and suspected narcotics.

He was staying in a hotel which is hosting delegates and media in Denver for the convention.

Police alerted federal authorities, who soon arrested Nathan Johnson, 32, in Aurora, Dudley said. A third man, Shawn Robert Adolf, 33, was arrested at an Aurora hotel, Dudley said. Adolf allegedly tried to escape officers by jumping from a sixth-floor window.

One of the men arrested reportedly told authorities they were going to shoot Obama from a high vantage point using a rifle.

A US government official familiar with the investigation said it was too soon to determine whether it was a valid threat and whether it could have been carried out.

Obama will be in Denver later this week to accept the Democratic nomination for president.