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13 people wanted to kidnap the politician from his vacation home. She had taken strict measures during the crown pandemic and was repeatedly criticized by Donald Trump for it.
It has been repeatedly harshly criticized by US President Trump in the past – Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Photo: Keystone
Several suspects are said to have plotted a government plot and kidnapping of Governor Gretchen Whitmer in the US state of Michigan. Authorities announced a total of 13 arrests Thursday. Criminal charges were brought against six men at the federal level and another seven at the state level.
The FBI is accusing the six men of having discussed the kidnapping of the Democratic governor before the November 3 US election at least since the summer, according to a published court document. The governor’s vacation home was noted for this.
With the help of informants, undercover agents and secret recordings of conversations, they were discovered, said prosecutor Andrew Birge. He described the suspects as “violent extremists.” If convicted, they face life in prison. The arrests were made Wednesday night.
Earlier this year, the FBI learned on social media that a group of people had discussed the “violent overthrow of certain government and police components,” including two of those arrested. To gain support for his efforts, one of the suspects approached a Michigan-based militia.
In a phone call in mid-June, one of the suspects is said to have said he would need 200 men to storm the Capitol in the capital Lansing and take hostages, including the governor, who will be tried for “treason.” The same suspect is said to have said during an observation of the governor’s vacation home in September: “He loves the power he has.” Whitmer has “uncontrolled power.”
Attorney General Nessel said the seven men against whom state criminal charges were brought are believed to have ties to a militia called the Wolverine Watchmen. They are accused of trying to find police addresses to attack them and start a civil war. In addition, they participated in planning and training for the attack on the Capitol in Lansing, Nessel said. The plans allegedly put the lives of police officers, government officials and the general public at risk.
Whitmer is a rising figure in the Democratic Party. In the Corona crisis, he imposed strict exit restrictions, which earned him much praise but also harsh criticism from the President of the United States, Donald Trump (read the background here). For several weeks straight, protesters marched in front of the Capitol and accused Whitmer of “tyranny.” Armed protesters stormed the building during a May Day protest. Investigators were unable to establish a link between the detainees’ efforts and this incident.
The governor speaks
Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has accused US President Donald Trump of fueling anger over the Corona crisis. This should be a moment of national unity. Instead, our head of state has spent the past seven months denying science, ignoring his own health experts, fueling suspicion, inciting anger, and comforting those who spread fear, hatred and division, “said Whitmer Thursday shortly after, US authorities had announced arrests related to a planned kidnapping of the governor.
Whitmer recalled that Trump refused to unequivocally condemn right-wing extremists and hate groups in the television duel against his Democratic rival Joe Biden last week. “When our leaders speak, their words matter, they carry weight,” he said.
Trump’s adviser Jason Miller denied the allegations. “If we’re going to talk hate, look in the mirror, Governor Whitmer.” He wakes up every day with “hatred in his heart” for President Trump.
