Militia in kidnap plot trained for ‘civil war’
FBI says Wolverine Watchmen planned to attack Capitol, abduct Michigan Gov. Whitmer
In some ways, the Wolverine Watchmen resembled many self-styled militia members who were angry at Michigan’s governor this spring over measures to fight the novel coronavirus — seen as government intrusion into their lives, experts say.
Members of other groups describe them as “regulars” at heavily armed demonstrations at the Capitol protesting pandemic restrictions, according to Amy Cooter, a senior lecturer in sociology at Vanderbilt University who has contacts in the community.
But the Watchmen and their associates did not stop at demonstrations, state and federal officials said Thursday, and eventually plotted to attack the Capitol and kidnap Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Their broader goal, according to a state affidavit: “civil war leading to societal collapse.”
Their alleged plans fulfilled the worst fears of those who worried that the vitriol against Whitmer could escalate, while highlighting the threat of violence from extremist groups and thrusting a young, little-known organization into the national spotlight.
Michael Lackomar, a communications officer and team leader for the Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia, recalled a small band of people that was just entering his radar amid the anti-shutdown furor.
“They expressed frustration that the militia groups weren’t doing enough,” he said.
Michigan Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel on Thursday announced felony charges against seven members or “associates” of the Wolverine Watchmen, accusing them of making threats toward officials and supporting plans for terrorist acts. Affidavits describe an “anti-government, anti-law enforcement” militia that has recruited on social media since the fall of 2019 and met in remote locations for “field training exercises” with firearms.
It was preparation, the affidavits say, for the “boogaloo,” an anti-government uprising or civil war. People connected to the right-wing “boogaloo bois” movement have been charged with killing a security guard and plotting to use explosives amid protests this summer.
The Wolverine Watchmen’s founders are Joseph Morrison, 26, and Pete Musico, 42, who lived together in Munith, Mich., according to state affidavits. Both were charged in the thwarted plot. The Post could not reach Morrison or Musico for comment on Thursday, and it was not immediately clear if they have lawyers.
Morrison, the group’s “commander,” went by “Boogalo Bunyan” online, authorities say.
The Wolverine Watchmen, along with others, planned and trained to kidnap multiple politicians as well as to storm the Capitol, officials say. They also “called on members to identify law enforcement officers’ home addresses in order to target the officers,” affidavits state, and “have made threats of violence to instigate a civil war leading to societal collapse.”
“There has been a disturbing increase in anti-government rhetoric and the reemergence of groups that embrace extremist ideologies,” Nessel said in a statement. “These groups often seek to recruit new members by seizing on a moment of civil unrest and using it to advance their agenda of self-reliance and armed resistance. This is more than just political disagreement or passionate advocacy, some of these groups’ mission is simply to create chaos and inflict harm upon others.”