A photograph of suspected Charleston shooter Dylann Roof, found on a website that may belong to him, shows Roof crouched over the numbers “1488” etched in the sand. The numbers have special significance to white supremacists. In 2008, after an assassination plot against then-candidate Barack Obama was discovered, Brian Palmer explained why.The article is reprinted below:

Law enforcement officials in Tennessee have arrested two white supremacists who planned to assassinate Barack Obama, the New York Times reported Monday. The skinheads had a scheme to attack the presidential candidate while wearing white tuxedos and top hats. They also intended to murder 88 people and behead 14 black children—numbers that “have special significance in the white power movement,” according to the Times. What’s the deal with these skinhead numbers and fashion choices? (Note: A few of the links in this article go to white-supremacist websites.)