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FBI, MSP thwart plan to kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer, overthrow government, 13 charged


Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says it's time to put hatred aside and university the country, during a news conference Oct. 8, 2020, in which she was responding to news that a group of men were plotting to kidnap her. (WWMT)
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says it's time to put hatred aside and university the country, during a news conference Oct. 8, 2020, in which she was responding to news that a group of men were plotting to kidnap her. (WWMT)
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LANSING, Mich. (WWMT) — At least 13 people have been charged in what FBI investigators described as a plot to violently overthrow the government and kidnap the governor.

The complaint filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Western Michigan accuses a group of people of conspiring since June to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer from her northern Michigan vacation home and take her to a remote location in Wisconsin to stand “trial” for treason.

"There has been a disturbing increase in anti-government rhetoric and the re-emergence of groups that embrace extremist ideologies,” Michigan Attorney General Nessel said. “These groups often seek to recruit new members by seizing on a moment of civil unrest and using it to advance their agenda of self-reliance and armed resistance. This is more than just political disagreement or passionate advocacy, some of these groups’ mission is simply to create chaos and inflict harm upon others.”

Court documents show that Kaleb Franks, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Daniel Harris, Brandon Caserta, and Adam Fox have all been charged in federal court. Fox, Franks, Harris and Caserta are Michigan residents while Croft is a resident of Delaware. Fox worked at Vac Shop in Grand Rapids where the FBI said he held meetings using a trap door hidden under a rug.

State charges also have been filed against seven people in connection with the investigation, Nessel said Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020. The charges against Michael Null, William Null, Eric Molitor, Joseph Morrison, Pete Musico, Shawn Fix, and Paul Bellar involve gang membership, material support for terrorist acts, and possessing firearms in commission of a felony.

Nessel said all seven individuals are linked to a group known as Wolverine Watchmen, a militia group who would periodically meet for “field training exercises” in remote areas where they took part in firearms training and tactical drills to prepare for the “boogaloo."

According to the Anti-Defamation League, The Boogaloo Movement is an antigovernmental extremist movement that formed in 2019. The term “boogaloo” is a slang reference to a future civil war, a concept boogalooers anticipate and even embrace.

According to the complaint, the FBI became aware through social media that a group of individuals were discussing the violent overthrow of certain government and law enforcement officials.

An affidavit filed by an FBI special agent said the months-long investigation relied on information and recordings provided by confidential sources and undercover agents.

The FBI said Croft, Fox and approximately 13 other people from several states discussed creating a society that followed the U.S. Bill of Rights and where they could be self-sufficient during a meeting on June 6 in Dublin, Ohio.

"Several members talked about murdering 'tyrants' or 'taking' a sitting governor," the court documents said.

The alleged plot involved reaching out to members of the Wolverine Watchmen, and attending tactical training.

In a recorded phone call on June 14, 2020 with a confidential informant, the FBI says Fox said he needed 200 men to storm the capitol building and take hostages, including the governor. During the call, Fox said they would then try the Governor for treason and that the plan would be executed before the November 2020 elections.

The affidavit says Fox, militia group leadership, Garbin, and a confidential informant met during a second amendment rally at the state capitol in June. At that time it alleges Fox told Garbin he was planning to attack the capitol and asked to combine forces.

In a June recorded phone call with an FBI confidential informant, investigators said Fox reported that he needed 200 men to storm the Capitol building in Lansing and take hostages, including the governor, who they would try for treason. Also during that call, he said they would execute the plan before the November elections.

The affidavit said Fox, militia group leadership, Garbin, and a confidential informant met during a Second Amendment rally at the state capitol in June. At that time it alleges Fox told Garbin he was planning to attack the capitol and asked to combine forces.

During a meeting on June 20, several people involved in the plot discussed several plans for attacking the state capitol, including using Molotov cocktails to destroy police vehicles.

On June 28, people involved with the plot attended tactical training at a militia member’s residence in Munith, Michigan. After the training, those there were told to leave if “they were not willing to participate in attacks against the government and in kidnapping politicians.”

A couple weeks later, they also participated in firearms training and other combat groups. At the training, a member of the militia group attempted to construct an improvised explosive device “using black powder, balloons, a fuse, and BBs for shrapnel.”

The FBI said the militia group member, along with conspirators, then attempted to make a second bomb using similar parts, though the device was faulty. A recording of the incident was provided to the FBI by a confidential informant.

At later meetings the group then changed their plans to target Whitmer at her family vacation home in northern Michigan, according to the FBI.

"On several occasions, Fox has expressed his intention and desire to kidnap Gov. Whitmer before Nov. 3, 2020, the date of the national election," the complaint said.

The documents showed the conspirators surveilled the vacation home on at least two occasions, and discussed planting improvised explosive devices to blow up a bridge near the home to divert police attention.

Recently the governor's residence in Lansing received security upgrades, including a new perimeter fence.

Michigan State Police and the FBI executed search warrants all across the state's Lower Peninsula on Wednesday night, including Kalamazoo, Belleville, Cadillac, Canton, Charlotte, Clarkston, Grand Rapids, Luther, Munith, Orion Township, Ovid, Portage, Shelby Township and Waterford.

“Michigan law enforcement officers are united in our commitment to rooting out terrorism in any form and we will take swift action against anyone seeking to cause violence or harm in our state,” Michigan State Police Director Col. Joe Gasper said.



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