FBI arrests 13 over plot to kidnap governor
LANSING, Michigan: Thirteen men, seven of them associated with an antigovernment militia group called the Wolverine Watchmen, have been arrested on charges of conspiring to kidnap the Michigan governor, attack the state legislature and threaten law enforcement, prosecutors said yesterday.
The suspects had plotted to abduct Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who has clashed publicly with Republican President Donald Trump over state coronavirus restrictions, ahead of next month’s presidential election, according to state and federal criminal complaints.
Prosecutors said the conspirators discussed recruiting a force of 200 supporters to storm the state capitol building in Lansing and take hostages, but later switched to a plan to kidnap Whitmer at her vacation home.
At a news conference, Whitmer accused Trump of fomenting political extremism, citing his comments during last week’s US presidential debate against Joe Biden in which Trump declined to condemn white supremacists and instead called for members of the Proud Boys to ‘‘stand back and stand by’’.
‘‘When our leaders meet with, encourage and fraternise with domestic terrorists they legitimise their actions, and they are complicit,’’ Whitmer said.
Trump tweeted, yesterday that the governor ‘‘has done a terrible job’’.
‘‘My Justice Department and Federal Law Enforcement announced . . . today that they foiled a dangerous plot against the Governor of Michigan. Rather than say thank you, she calls me a White Supremacist,’’ Trump wrote.
Biden accused Trump of ‘‘giving oxygen to the bigotry and hate we see on the march in our country.’’
The FBI became aware through social media in early 2020 of groups discussing the ‘‘violent overthrow’’ of multiple state governments and used confidential sources to track their movements, according to court records.
The six men named in the federal complaint: Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta, could face life in prison if convicted on charges of attempting to kidnap Whitmer.
Fox and Croft, in particular, discussed detonating bombs as a diversionary tactic, ‘‘and Fox even inspected the underside of a Michigan highway bridge for places to seat an explosive,’’ Andrew Birge, US attorney for the western district of Michigan, told a briefing.
Michigan’s Attorneygeneral unveiled state charges against seven other men affiliated with the Wolverine Watchmen and accused of violating the state’s antiterrorism act by conspiring to kidnap the governor and propagate violence.
The Wolverine Watchmen group has used Facebook since November 2019 to recruit members, and trained with firearms to prepare for the ‘‘boogaloo,’’ a term used in the militia movement for an uprising against the government or impending civil war, according to affidavits in support of the state charges.
Nessel said the group sought to identify the home addresses of law enforcement officers to threaten them with violence.
According to the FBI’s criminal complaint, Fox indicated that he wanted to kidnap Whitmer before the national election on November 3 and he would put her on trial for ‘‘treason’’. — Reuters