The FBI is on record sayong the extreme right is more of a threat than antifa or BLM. I guess this is a good example supporting this thesis. Feds say they thwarted militia plot to kidnap WhitmerRobert Snell, Melissa Nann Burke, The Detroit News
The FBI says it thwarted what it described as a plot to violently overthrow the government and kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The alleged plot involved reaching out to members of a Michigan militia, according to a federal affidavit filed Thursday.
The court filing also alleges the conspirators twice conducted surveillance at Whitmer's personal vacation home and discussed kidnapping her to a "secure location" in Wisconsin to stand "trial" for treason prior to the Nov. 3 election.
"Several members talked about murdering 'tyrants' or 'taking' a sitting governor," an FBI agent wrote in the affidavit. "The group decided they needed to increase their numbers and encouraged each other to talk to their neighbors and spread their message."
The affidavit was filed hours after a team of FBI agents raided a Hartland Township home Wednesday and comes amid an ongoing investigation into the death of a Metro Detroit man killed during a shootout with FBI agents.
More than 12 people were arrested late Wednesday on state and federal charges.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, federal and state officers on Thursday detailed charges and what they described as "elaborate plans" to overthrow the government and kidnap Whitmer.
Michigan State Police Col. Joe Gasper said the department will take swift action against those seeking to harm anyone in the state of Michigan.
"This case is one of the largest cases in recent history that the MSP has been involved in," Gasper said during an afternoon news conference.
"The nature of this case is rather unprecedented, but it does send a very vivid reminder that while we may be in a period of discourse, possibly even divisiveness and fighting across the nation, law enforcement stands united."
The conspiracy described by the FBI specifically involved at least six people, including Ty Garbin, 24, whose home was raided by agents in Hartland Township late Wednesday.
The affidavit filed in federal court details probable cause to charge the six men with conspiring to kidnap Whitmer. Those identified by name include:
Adam Fox
Barry Croft
Garbin
Kaleb Franks
Daniel Harris
Brandon Caserta
Ages and hometowns for all six men were not immediately available.
The investigation dates to early 2020 when the FBI learned through social media that individuals were discussing the violent overthrow of several state governments and law enforcement.
In June, Croft, Fox and 13 others from multiple states held a meeting in Dublin, Ohio, near Columbus, according to the government.
Those present included an FBI confidential source who recorded the meetings. The source has been paid $8,600.
“The group talked about creating a society that followed the U.S. Bill of Rights and where they could be self-sufficient,” the FBI agent wrote.
“They discussed different ways of achieving this goal from peaceful endeavors to violent actions. At one point, several members talked about state governments they believed were violating the U.S. Constitution, including the government of Michigan and Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
“As part of that recruitment effort, Fox reached out to a Michigan-based militia group,” the agent added.
The militia group is not identified in the court filing, but members periodically meet in remote areas of the state for firearms training and tactical drills.
The FBI was already tracking the militia in March after a local police department learned members were trying to obtain addresses of local law-enforcement officers, the FBI agent wrote.
“At the time, the FBI interviewed a member of the militia group who was concerned about the group’s plans to target and kill police officers, and that person agreed to become a (confidential source),” the agent wrote
In late June, Fox posted on Facebook a video in which he complained about the state’s judicial system and COVID-19 restrictions on gyms operating in Michigan.
“Fox referred to Governor Whitmer as ‘this tyrant b----,’ and stated, ‘I don’t know, boys, we gotta do something,” according to the court affidavit. “You guys link with me on our other location system, give me some ideas of what we can do.”
The affidavit describing the thwarted plot reports two occasions when the alleged conspirators conducted surveillance on Whitmer's vacation home — during the day on Aug. 29 and at night over the weekend of Sept. 12-13.
Fox and two other individuals located Whitmer's home and shot video and took photos of it as they drove by on Aug. 29. One of the individuals then calculated how long it would take local and state police to respond to an incident at the property.
"We ain't going to let 'em burn our f---in' state down. I don't give a f--- if there's only 20 or 30 of us, dude, we'll go out there and use deadly force," said Fox during the surveillance operation, according to an audio recording quoted in the affidavit.
In an encrypted group chat, Garbin later suggested that demolishing a nearby bridge would hamper a response by police to the governor's home, according to the court filing.
The September surveillance followed a field exercise in at Garbin's property in Luther, Michigan, where the conspirators allegedly detonated an improvised explosive device made from a commercial firework wrapped in shrapnel "to test its anti-personnel effectiveness."
After a briefing on the plan to kidnap Whitmer, a larger group of the men drive from Luther to the vacation home in three separate vehicles while armed.
They stopped to check the underside of a highway bridge to check for places to attach an explosive charge, and discussed detonating explosive devices to divert law enforcement officers from the area of the governor's home.
“She f---ing goddamn loves the power she has right now,” Fox said during the surveillance operation, according to the affidavit. “I can see several states takin’ their f---in’ tyrants. Everybody takes their tyrants.”
The group later returned to Garbin's property, where they discussed destroying Whitmer's vacation home. "Kidnapping, arson, death, I don't care," Franks said, according to the affidavit.
The group later made plans to conduct a final training exercise in late October but then decided that was too close to the November election, so they moved forward with raising money to procure explosives and other supplies including an 800,000-volt taser. It's unclear when the kidnapping was planned for.
Whitmer's office did not immediately comment Thursday morning, but the governor is expected to deliver prepared remarks on the investigation at 3 p.m. Thursday on her Facebook and Twitter pages.
The criminal case comes after months of state restrictions on travel and business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The lockdown has been a lightning rod for anti-government extremists in this country, and Gov. Whitmer has been on the forefront of their targeting,” said Seamus Hughes, deputy director of George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, tweeted Thursday afternoon: "A threat against our Governor is a threat against us all."
"We condemn those who plotted against her and our government," he said. "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."
In recent weeks, the state-owned Michigan governor's residence received security upgrades, including the construction of a new perimeter fence.
The "perimeter security and other safety upgrades" were planned out last year, Whitmer spokeswoman Tiffany Brown said in early September. They were scheduled to start in the early spring but were delayed until recently because of the pandemic, she said.
The cost for the "maintenance" projects at the Lansing residence, which was recommended by the Michigan State Police and the state Department of Technology, Management and Budget, was about $1.1 million, Brown said.
"As a matter of practice, we’re constantly reviewing security protocols and adjusting as needed," said Shanon Banner, spokeswoman for the Michigan State Police, in early September.
"We don’t comment on specific threats against the governor nor do we provide information about security measures."
Come back to
www.detroitnews.com for more on this developing story.
Staff Writers Craig Mauger, Beth LeBlanc and Christine Ferretti contributed.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/10/08/feds-thwart-militia-plot-kidnap-michigan-gov-gretchen-whitmer/5922301002/