A 20-year-old Colorado man was arrested after he allegedly threatened to assassinate President Obama and go on a shooting rampage during a Halloween event at a local high school.
KDVR reports the Secret Service took Mitchell Kusick into custody on Friday after learning he had spoken of wanting to kill the president. Investigators say Kusick talked to them about the president’s schedule and planned to carry out the assassination during one of Obama’s campaign stops in Colorado.
Additionally, a federal criminal complaint charges Kusick was planning to open fire on children at a trick or treat event at a high school in a Denver suburb on Halloween. Kusick allegedly stole a rifle from a relative in order to carry out the plot.
Federal investigators say Kusick confessed he had been homicidal for years, saying he was obsessed with the Columbine High School massacre and the recent kidnap and murder of 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway in Westminster.
“Kusick stated he is very interested in snipers and has studied the James Holmes Aurora shooting,” the federal complaint says according to KDVR. “Kusick admitted to following the incident and stated his mother is in the mental health field and was a first responder to the scene.”
Kusick is being held on suspicion of a federal charge of threats against a president. He identified himself as a student at Colorado Mesa University in western Colorado, investigators said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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