NYTimes: U.S. Cites Evidence of Assassination Plot

[spanone]

TUCSON — Prosecutors accused Jared Lee Loughner, a troubled 22-year-old college dropout, of five serious federal charges on Sunday, including the attempted assassination of a member of Congress, for his role in a shooting incident that left 20 people wounded, six of them fatally, on Saturday morning.

According to court documents filed in the United States District Court in Phoenix, the authorities seized evidence from Mr. Loughner’s home showing that he had planned to kill Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was in critical condition on Sunday with a gunshot wound to the head. Tony M. Tayler Jr., an F.B.I. special agent, said in an affidavit supporting the charges that an envelope was found there with the handwritten words “I planned ahead,” ”My assassination” and “Giffords.”Other details about the envelope were not disclosed.

The court documents say that Mr. Loughner purchased the semiautomatic Glock pistol used at the shooting at Sportsman’s Warehouse in Tucson on Nov. 30. The documents also indicate that the suspect had previous contact with the congresswoman: The authorities found a letter from Ms. Giffords thanking Mr. Loughner for attending a 2007 “Congress on Your Corner” event similar to the one she was holding on Saturday morning when she was attacked.

Along with being accused of trying to kill Ms. Giffords, Mr. Loughner was charged with killing or attempting to kill four other United States government officials: United States District Judge John M. Roll and Gabriel Zimmerman, an aide to Ms. Giffords, who were killed, and two more Congressional aides, Pamela Simon and Ron Barber, who were wounded. The shooting of the other 15 people who were wounded or killed in the attack would be state crimes rather than federal crimes; as of Sunday afternoon no state charges had yet been filed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/us/politics/10giffords.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=print

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. A hitman?

who paid him?

[Cirque du So-What]

3. The title says 'plot' - not 'conspiracy'

There's nothing in the affidavit to indicate that the feds believe Loughner acted with or on behalf of anyone else. I am glad to see, however, that evidence of an actual 'plot' is emerging. It makes the 'deranged' meme harder to reinforce.

[sharesunited]

2. Sportsman's Warehouse. How dignified.

Guns Galore in Killeen is where the Fort Hood shooter bought his.

That's a name which better states the situation.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. You feel the same way about Big-5, Gander Mountain, Cabellas, Bass Pros Shops,

and other sporting goods stores?

[sharesunited]

5. Thank you for highlighting the enormous scope of the retail problem.

You should excuse the word "scope."

[ProgressiveProfessor]

11. That large chains sell firearms is a good thing, just like widespread firearms ownership

[KharmaTrain]

6. A Pattern Emerges...

The bottom line is Loughner was a schizophrenic whose trip wire was hit and the feds and Pima County are trying to put the pieces together that caused the switch to flip. As has been the case with many of these mass shootings, the killer is trying to draw attention to themselves. The pattern of a loner who lashes out...usually at some type of symbol of authority but whose real motives are complex and deeply personal. While there are those who want to jump on this being political, I would like to see what evidence has been gathered and then used in a trial. We could, again, be dealing with a troubled soul that festered lifelong phobias and hates that are twisted and really have little true political motive.

At this point I would prefer to go with what is known rather than what serves an agenda. It's maddening as there is precious little information in these indictments but I trust those details are being kept close to the vest as the investigation into the true causes continue.

Yes, this indictment points to this being pre-meditated and Giffords was targeted, but the reasons may be as conveluted as Mark David Chapman's obsessions with Holden Caufield or John Hinckley's Jody Foster fantasies. I expect we'll get a better picture as the state and federal put their cases together in the weeks ahead.

[Nostradammit]

8. If your purpose here is to diffuse the obvious political nature of this assasination attempt

you have failed miserably.

The bottom line is that if Gabrielle Giffords were not a politician she would not have been a target.

And it is completely proper at this point in time to point out that other national politicians have been
publicly calling for exactly this.

The finally found someone to do their bidding.

[KharmaTrain]

9. It's What The Feds And State Come Up With...

I stated that the indictment indicates that Giffords was targeted but I don't see a "they" who he did their bidding...at least not at this point. It's dots that still don't have solid evidence that connect. They may and when that does occur then it's important to expose and possibly indict others who were involved, but this indicment says PLOT not conspiracy. Supposedly we're a land of laws and to presume innocence instead of guilt.

Pointing out the vitriol of hate radio and television is proper, but there's no connection at this point in what occured. I could see more of a connection with the GOTB campaign that invited donors to shoot at targets with Gifford's face on it before I'd try to connect Palin or Limbaugh to it. At least at this point...again, there's no evidence that says so...and I'll stick with what is known rather than what one hopes it means.

I agree wholeheartedly with Sherrif Dupnik that the rhetoric has led to a poisoned and dangerous atmosphere, but we also are seeing is the surface...there's little known about the assasin and his motives. If and when that happens then we can look for conspiracies. As of now, none exist.

We've had a steady episode of lone wolf gunmen...most in their teens and 20s...who have turned violent. I dismiss the false equivelency game but I have yet to see any accomplices who either ordered this loser to go and kill Giffords or provided the money or weapons to do so. Let's see where the evidence leads...

[tavalon]

10. Sarah Crosshairs Palin has been sending out her dog whistles

since McCain foisted her upon us in 2008. I'm frankly surprised it took this long for someone to respond. I'm not in the least surprised that he is mentally unstable - he is just the sort to hear the whistle and to obey its command.

[eridani]

7. Looks like yesterday's person of interest that Loughner's cab driver n/t