13 men charged in plot to kidnap Michigan governor
10/08/2020 3:45 pm PDT
via WXYZ:
LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) -- A raid involving multiple law enforcement agencies was tied to a plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Six people have been arrested by federal authorities; Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta have been named in the criminal complaint. Additionally, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that seven other people linked to the militia group "Wolverine Watchmen" have been charged by the state in relation to the plot.
The FBI and Michigan State Police spent hours raiding a home in Hartland Wednesday night, continuing into the early morning hours in Hartland Meadows.
According to the complaint, a Michigan-based militia group, Wolverine Watchmen, attempted to recruit members for the operation, which included storming the Capitol building in Lansing and taking hostages, including Whitmer.
The suspects are alleged to have called on the groups' members to identify the home addresses of law enforcement officers in order to target them; made threats of violence to instigate a civil war leading to societal collapse; and engaged in the planning and training for an operation to attack the state Capitol building and kidnap government officials, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The plan was reportedly supposed to be executed before the November 2020 election.
The militia group reportedly held several meetings over the summer, where they participated in firearms training and combat drills. According to the complaint, they also attempted to build IED devices, which were faulty and did not detonate as planned.
The group then reportedly decided to abduct the governor at her vacation home in western Michigan and take her to a secure location in Wisconsin for "trial."
In August, federal officials say, the group allegedly conducted surveillance of her home on two occasions.
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