The FBI said in court documents Thursday it thwarted a plot by armed militia members to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and force her to “stand trial.”
In an affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court of Western Michigan, FBI agents said six men connected to militia groups in the state plotted to “take violent action against multiple state governments that they believe are violating the U.S. Constitution” and to abduct Whitmer.
The defendants were identified as Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris, and Brandon Caserta. The affidavit was filed shortly after a team of FBI agents raided a home in Hartland Township, Mich.
Related Story: At Least Two of Gretchen Whitmer’s Kidnapping Conspirators Appear to Be Anti-Trump Anarchists
Agents said the plot included recruiting hundreds of followers to storm the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing on a date before the Nov. 3 election, taking Whitmer hostage and putting her on trial for “treason.”
The men also discussed countering law enforcement responders with Molotov cocktails, the affidavit said.
Using information gathered by an informant, the FBI said some of the militia members also twice conducted surveillance at Whitmer’s vacation home in western Michigan and discussed kidnapping her there.
Whitmer, a Democrat, has drawn vehement opposition from militia groups and others for instituting COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Armed protesters in April filled the streets around the Capitol in a demonstration opposing the measures.
They were given encouragement by President Donald Trump, who tweeted, “Liberate Michigan.”
“The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire,” Trump tweeted on May 1. “These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.”
Whitmer’s anti-pandemic measures have also been opposed by Michigan’s Republican-controlled Legislature, which for months has been waging a legal battle against them.
In a landmark ruling last week, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled she violated her constitutional authority by continuing to issue orders to combat COVID-19 without the approval of state lawmakers.
State Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey condemned the militia members Thursday.
“A threat against our governor is a threat against us all,” he tweeted. “We condemn those who plotted against her and our government. They are not patriots. There is no honor in their actions. They are criminals and traitors, and they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
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