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US Secret Service probing Facebook poll on Obama

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-09-29 10:49

US President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks about health care reform at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Phoenix Awards Dinner in Washington September 26, 2009. [Agencies]

WASHINGTON: The US Secret Service is investigating an online survey that asked whether people thought President Barack Obama should be assassinated.

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The poll, posted Saturday on Facebook, was taken off the popular social networking site quickly after company officials were alerted to its existence. But, like any threat against the president, Secret Service agents are taking no chances.

The poll asked respondents "Should Obama be killed?" The choices: No, Maybe, Yes, and Yes if he cuts my health care.

More than 750 Facebook users had reportedly cast votes by the time the poll was yanked from the wildly popular online social networking community.

Facebook says the question was not created by the company, but by an independent person using an add-on application that has been suspended from the site.