Militia members arrested for failed ploy to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer

REUTERS: Law enforcement personnel took down plots to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday night, as members of the Wolverine Watchmen were arrested.

The group aimed to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who has traded barbs with Republican President Donald Trump over her response to the coronavirus pandemic, ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election, according to a criminal complaint.

At one point, the alleged plotters discussed recruiting a force of 200 to storm the state capitol in Lansing and take hostages, but later abandoned the plan in favor of surveiling and kidnapping Whitmer at her vacation home, the complaint said.

At a news conference, Whitmer accused Trump of encouraging extremist groups like the “sick and depraved men” that targeted her, citing his failure to condemn white supremacists at the recent U.S. presidential debate against Joe Biden as an example.

“When our leaders meet with, encourage and fraternize with domestic terrorists they legitimize their actions, and they are complicit,” Whitmer said.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany pushed back at her remarks, saying Trump has condemned all forms of hate.

“Governor Whitmer is sowing division by making these outlandish allegations,” McEnany said in a statement.

Internal U.S. security memos 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 foreign disinformation campaigns.

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 the largest “chunk” of investigations were into white supremacist groups.

The FBI became aware through social media in early 2020 that a group of people were discussing the “violent overthrow” of multiple 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 be sentenced to life in prison if convicted on charges of attempting to kidnap Whitmer.

“Fox and Croft in particular… discussed detonating explosive devices to divert police from the area of the home and Fox even inspected the underside of a Michigan highway bridge for places to seat an explosive,” Andrew Birge, U.S. attorney for the western district of Michigan, told a briefing.