Cliff Notes
• Man accused of planning attack against Democratic presidential candidate
• 19-year-old Louisiana State University student being held on $1 million bail
• Clinton scheduled to be in Baton Rouge on Saturday to speak at conference
• Police say student's room searched; documents found; computer, drugs seized
• Man accused of planning attack against Democratic presidential candidate
• 19-year-old Louisiana State University student being held on $1 million bail
• Clinton scheduled to be in Baton Rouge on Saturday to speak at conference
• Police say student's room searched; documents found; computer, drugs seized
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Story BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (AP) -- A 19-year-old Louisiana State University student was being held Friday on $1 million bail, accused of planning an attack against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. State District Judge Mike Erwin set bail after Richard Ryan Wargo of Shreveport, Louisiana, was booked on charges of terrorizing, communicating false information of planned arson and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Clinton, a New York senator, is scheduled to be in Baton Rouge on Saturday to speak at the National Conference of Black Mayors. Police said it was unclear whether Wargo was planning to carry out the alleged attack at that time. Wargo is listed on LSU's web site as a physics major. LSU Police Chief Ricky Adams said Wargo asked another student if he wanted to join him in committing arson, a "terrorist act" that he described as a "national event." "He allegedly went on to say it was political and it involved Hillary Clinton," Adams said. The classmate later learned Clinton had scheduled a Baton Rouge appearance. Police said the student reported Wargo to the university after a second conversation, in which Wargo allegedly made a second remark indicating he planned violence against Clinton. That remark "was something along the lines of, 'Have you ever heard of a dead president?' " Adams said. "That's language that should be of concern to anyone. Thank goodness the classmate reported it." Police arrested Wargo in a traffic stop Thursday night. "He cooperated and did not resist," Adams said. Officers searched Wargo's dormitory room and found documents that made the classmate's accusations appear credible, Adams said. He declined to give details, but he said officers also seized Wargo's computer and marijuana and drug paraphernalia. A call to Wargo's family's home in Shreveport was not immediately returned. U.S. Attorney David Dugas said the Secret Service is also investigating. "If they believe a federal crime has been committed, they'll refer it to our office and we'll consider it," Dugas said. On Thursday, the Secret Service said it placed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois, under its protection. A law enforcement source said the government was not aware of any specific, credible threat against Obama. But Obama's office has received hate mail, calls and other "threatening materials" during his campaign, the source said. |
