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MICHIGAN: Thirteen people, including seven men associated with the Wolverine Watchmen militia group, have been arrested in a total dismantling of plans to kidnap the Michigan governor, attack the state capitol building and incite violence.
The group aimed to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who has traded criticism with Republican President Donald Trump for his response to the coronavirus pandemic, ahead of the November 3 presidential election, according to a criminal complaint.
At one point, the alleged conspirators discussed recruiting a force of 200 to storm the state capitol in Lansing and take hostages, but then abandoned the plan in favor of surveilling and abducting Whitmer from his vacation home, according to the complaint.
In a press conference, Whitmer accused Trump of rooting for extremist groups like the “sick and depraved men” who attacked her, citing as an example his failure to condemn white supremacists in the recent US presidential debate against Joe Biden.
“When our leaders meet, encourage and fraternize with national terrorists, they legitimize their actions and are complicit,” said Whitmer.
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White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany rejected his comments, saying Trump has condemned all forms of hate.
“Governor Whitmer is sowing division by making these outrageous accusations,” McEnany said in a statement.
Internal U.S. security memoranda in recent months have warned that violent domestic extremists could pose a threat to election-related targets, a concern exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, political tensions, civil unrest and campaigning for misinformation abroad.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said during congressional hearings in September that his agency was conducting investigations into violent domestic extremists, including white supremacists and anti-fascist groups. Wray said most “parts” of the investigations were on white supremacist groups.
The FBI became aware through social media in early 2020 that a group of people was discussing the “violent overthrow” of various state governments and used confidential sources to track their movements, according to the complaint.
The group of six facing federal charges – Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta – could face life in prison if convicted of attempting to kidnap Whitmer.
“Fox and Croft in particular … talked about the detonation of explosive devices to divert police from the area of the house and Fox even inspected the underside of a Michigan highway bridge looking for places to plant an explosive.” , Andrew Birge, US Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, said in a briefing.
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SCHEDULED ACTION BEFORE THE ELECTION
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel revealed additional state charges against seven men affiliated with Wolverine Watchmen for allegedly violating state anti-terrorism law by conspiring to kidnap the governor and spread violence.
The Wolverine Watchmen has used Facebook since November 2019 to recruit members, according to affidavits in support of the state charges. The group, which is against law enforcement, trained with firearms to prepare for an uprising against the government and what they believe is an “imminent civil war for political reasons,” according to the affidavits.
Nessel said the suspects sought to identify the home addresses of law enforcement officers with the aim of threatening them with violence and inciting unrest.
It said a total of 19 state felony charges were brought against the seven people: Paul Bellar, Shawn Fix, Eric Molitor, Michael Null, William Null, Pete Musico and Joseph Morrison, including charges for gang membership and for providing support to terrorist acts.
According to the FBI’s criminal complaint, Fox indicated that he wanted to kidnap Whitmer before the November 3 national election. In a June phone call, Fox said it would try Whitmer for “treason” after taking her hostage, according to the complaint.
Michigan is a key state in the 2020 presidential race, and Trump and his supporters have demanded that the governor relax the social distancing rules. The militiamen were among those who took to the streets in April to protest the various rules.
Trump encouraged the protesters, tweeting in April “LIBERATE MICHIGAN.”
In a June video broadcast live to a private Facebook group, Fox called Whitmer a “tyrant bitch” as she complained about restrictions against gym openings.
“I don’t know guys, we have to do something. You guys link to me on our other location system, give me some ideas of what we can do,” Fox said in the video, according to the complaint.
Facebook said it cooperated with the investigation.
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The militia movement in the United States became prominent in the mid-1990s and resurfaced just over a decade ago with the advent of social media and the election of former President Barack Obama, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Mark Pitcavage, the organization’s principal investigator, said that militia movements generally support Trump and thus have shifted their “anger at the government” from the federal government, where it has traditionally been directed, toward state leaders.
“In that sense, it is not necessarily surprising that a militia cell might decide to target a high-profile Democratic governor,” he said.
