FEDERAL and state authorities on Thursday arrested 13 men they say conspired to kidnap and kill Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, because, in part, of her strict coronavirus lockdown measure that sparked protests across the state.
Federal prosecutors have charged six men, who were members of an unidentified militia, with conspiring to kidnap Ms. Whitmer, a Democrat. If convicted, all six could face life in prison.
Separately, Michigan State Attorney General Dana Nessel lodged state charges against seven additional defendants in the plot. All told, those seven individuals face 19 state felony charges, including state terrorism counts, that could land each in prison for more than 20 years.
Separately, Michigan State Attorney General Dana Nessel lodged state charges against seven additional defendants in the plot. All told, those seven individuals face 19 state felony charges, including state terrorism counts, that could land each in prison for more than 20 years.
It is not clear what role the state defendants played in the kidnap plot.
At a press conference announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Matthew Schneider called the allegations “deeply disturbing.”
“All of us can disagree about politics, but those disagreements should never, ever result in violence,” he said.
The militia members at least twice conducted surveillance at Ms. Whitmer’s vacation home, and discussed kidnapping her and moving her to a remote location to stand “trial” for treason before the Nov. 3 election, according to court documents.
“Snatch and grab, man. Grab the f—n Governor. Just grab the b—ch. Because at that point, we do that, — it’s over,” one of them said according to an affidavit filed in a federal court.
In August, the group took pictures and video of her vacation home as they drove by and learned how close police were to the house, according to court documents.
By mid-September, militia members detonated an IED that was surrounded by human silhouette targets, the FBI said, and plotted placing an explosive device under a highway overpass to divert police from the vacation home.
The group also planned to raise about $4,000 to get the explosives they wanted to blow up the overpass leading to Ms. Whitmer’s vacation home. Those fund-raising efforts ultimately brought them to the attention of a confidential FBI informant, according to court documents.
Militia members also discussed knocking on Ms. Whitmer’s door and “when she answers it just cap her,” the affidavit quotes one of the defendants.
One of the defendants, Adam Fox, purchased an 800,000-volt taser to use in the kidnapping, the FBI said.
Mr. Fox also called Ms. Whitmer a “tyrant b—h” and asked the group to link with others for ideas of what to do.
“Several members talked about murdering ‘tyrants’ or ‘taking’ a sitting governor,’” an FBI agent wrote in the affidavit. “The group decided they needed to increase their numbers and encouraged either other to talk to their neighbors and spread their message.”
The militia group also met in Ohio and Wisconsin and, while in Wisconsin, another defendant Barry Croft tried to make an IED using black powder, balloons and BBs for shrapnel, according to the FBI.
The group also discussed a plot to gather 200 men and “storm the Capitol in Lansing and take hostages, including the governor,” the affidavit says.
At the meeting to discuss storming the Capitol, they mulled using Molotov cocktails to destroy police vehicles and kill first responders, the FBI said.
Jonathan Lewis, a research fellow at the George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, said Thursday’s arrests are a sign that anti-government militia groups have become more aggressive in recent months.
“Anecdotally, we are certainly seeing a rise in cases where they are very willing to and very quick to go from towing across the line from First Amendment protected speech to online calls for violence to taking steps in furtherance of acts of violence,” he said.
“Cases like this show the broader anti-government milieu is very quickly becoming a popular spreadable ideology that attracts individuals across the country,” Mr. Lewis continued.
Authorities said the defendants were angry about Michigan’s strict coronavirus lockdown. Ms. Whitmer has responded to the deadly pandemic by imposing some of the toughest restrictions in the country, sparking mass protests throughout the state.
President Trump and Republicans accused Ms. Whitmer of going too far. She banned all unnecessary travel, including barring residents from traveling to second homes.
Speaking Thursday, Ms. Whitmer cautioned against using the COVID-19 restrictions as an excuse for violence.
“We are Michiganders. We have grit, we have heart, and we are tough as hell. But none of us has faced a challenge like COVID-19,” she said. “I’ve said it many times, we are not one another’s enemies. This virus is our enemy.”
Mr. Lewis said some anti-government groups have rallied against the coronavirus lockdowns across the country.
“The lockdown has been a lightning rod and the primary focus for a lot of these groups because you have so much shared anger and frustration,” Mr. Lewis said. “It can very quickly be translated from anger to frustration into fears the governor who is perpetrating all of this will overreach into our lives.”
In June, Mr. Fox posted a Facebook video blasting Ms. Whitmer’s COVID-19 restrictions, complaining that gyms were closed, court document revealed.
“Fox referred to Gov. Whitmer as ‘this tyrant b—’ and stated ‘I don’t know, boys, we gotta do something,’” the FBI agent wrote. “You guys link with me on our other location system, give me some ideas of what we can do.”
– Washington Times.
