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WASHINGTON – Thirteen men, including members of two right-wing militias, have been arrested for conspiring to kidnap the Democratic governor of the US state of Michigan and “instigate a civil war,” authorities said.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer thanked the police for foiling the kidnapping plot and berated President Donald Trump for failing to condemn the hate groups.
In announcing the arrests, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel described the conspiracy to kidnap Whitmer, 49, as a “serious and credible threat.”
Andrew Birge, United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, said six men faced federal charges for conspiring to kidnap Whitmer from his vacation home.
Birge said they had conducted a surveillance of his residence and even tested a homemade bomb that they intended to use to divert law enforcement from their home.
FBI agents and Michigan police arrested them Wednesday as they met to “raise funds for explosives and exchange tactical equipment,” the Justice Department said.
Trump has repeatedly targeted Whitmer for his tough coronavirus lockdown, and right-wing armed groups have staged protests against her in Lansing, the state capital.
