Militia group plotted to kidnap Michigan governor and try her for ‘treason,’ feds say
A militia group is accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at a vacation home, authorities say.
Six militia members are charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping of the governor in order to put her on “trial” for treason, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday. The complaint describes a lengthy investigation that uncovered secret meetings behind hidden doors, military training exercises in remote areas of Michigan and attempts to create explosives for blowing up their targets.
The FBI arrested Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta, according to court documents.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced state felony charges against six members of the militia group known as the Wolverine Watchmen: Paul Bellar, Shawn Fix, Eric Molitor, Michael Null, William Null and Pete Musico.
The FBI and Michigan State Police executed search warrants and arrest warrants Wednesday night, culminating the months-long investigation.
Early this year, the FBI began investigating a group discussing a violent overthrow of the government and killing police officers. They spoke of murdering “tyrants” and “taking” a governor, according to the federal complaint. The FBI infiltrated the group with confidential informants and undercover employees.
The group sometimes met on private property in remote areas of Michigan for firearm training and tactical drills. They also secretly met at a business owned by Fox in Grand Rapids, gathering in the basement of the shop under a trap door hidden by a rug.
Fox wanted to recruit 200 people to “storm” the capitol building and take the governor hostage, according to the complaint. At the secret basement meeting, the group talked about attacking the capitol and using “Molotov cocktails” on police cars, officials say.
By July, their plot had turned to kidnapping Whitmer at her vacation home, which could provide them the “best opportunity” to “snatch and grab” the governor and take her to another location in Wisconsin for the “trial,” according to the complaint.
“And it’s a perfect (expletive) setup,” Fox told another member, according to the complaint. “Out of everywhere that she resides, this is the only one that’s probably actually feasible with a success rate.”
They began surveillance of the governor’s vacation home in August and suggested blowing up a bridge near the property to hinder law enforcement response, according to the complaint.
A few weeks later during a training exercise, a member brought his “chemistry set” to create an improvised explosive device and blew it up among a group of human silhouette targets, the complaint says.
The group was finalizing its kidnapping plot by mid-September, and Fox had purchased a stun gun to use during the operation by last week, according to the complaint. They planned to meet an undercover agent Wednesday to buy explosives and exchange tactical gear, the complaint says.
The group wanted to kidnap the governor before Election Day, the complaint says.
“All of us in Michigan can disagree about politics, but those disagreements should never, ever amount to violence. Violence has been prevented today,” U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
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