FBI arrest 6 men in a militia plot to kidnap Michigan governor who also wanted to kill police officers.

Unclebaldrick said:

So, uh, we got this new guy... He wears a hoodie that says "Anti terror terror squad". So I asked him what he thought about this. He says that they are patriots and had the obligation to liberate Michigan.

Democracy means nothing to this dipshits.

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captainmorgan said:

My guess is that Putin has been supplying them with money and technical training for quite some time.

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doublejj said:

thru the NRA......

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hanimmal said:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/10/08/feds-thwart-militia-plot-kidnap-michigan-gov-gretchen-whitmer/5922301002/
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The FBI says it thwarted what it described as a plot to violently overthrow the government and kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and federal prosecutors are expected to discuss the alleged conspiracy later Thursday.

The alleged plot involved reaching out to members of a Michigan militia, according to a federal affidavit filed Thursday.

"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."

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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.

The conspiracy described by the FBI 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.

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.”

Whitmer's office did not immediately comment Thursday morning.

Michigan Attorney Dana Nessel is set to join with state police, FBI officials and the U.S. attorneys from Detroit and Grand Rapids at 1 p.m. Thursday to announce "details of a major operation" and criminal charges.

The criminal case comes after months of 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.

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."

(older video on militias)

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schuylaar said:

why are militias legal?

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DIY-HP-LED said:

You need to volunteer and give civics lessons at lunch break, tell them about liberalism and how democracy and the constitution works, suggest it as part of hiring orientation etc. Preach to the heathen Baldrick!

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schuylaar said:

why are militias legal?

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schuylaar said:

why are militias legal?

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captainmorgan said:

These terrorists should be held in GITMO until trial.

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Fogdog said:

Thanks for that. These guys are bad but I feel as if they are just the scum that is skimmed off the top of the pot. There are plenty more under the surface.

My sense of it is that we are going to have peace through the last weeks of this election cycle. I can't put any reason down for thinking this but I think we are done with the right wing terrorism for now. Maybe it's just the result of a good night's sleep and the coffee kicking in.

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hanimmal said:

Check out what the turd of a sheriff is saying now:

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The purported leader of an extremist plot to kidnap Michigan's governor was struggling financially and living in a storage space underneath a friend's vacuum shop after his girlfriend kicked him out of her home, according to people who know him.

Court papers portray Adam Fox as the leader behind the plot to abduct Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, as she either exited or entered one of her vacation homes.

Federal and state officials announced Thursday that they had arrested Fox and five other men on charges related to the kidnapping plot. Seven other suspects were arrested by state law enforcement on charges of providing support to terrorist acts.

FBI charges six who it says plotted to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, as seven more who wanted to ignite civil war face state charges

The plotters, according to an FBI affidavit, were motivated in part by their belief that state governments, including Michigan’s, were violating the U.S. Constitution by imposing restrictions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus — and they referred to Whitmer as a tyrant. As their anger mounted, they trained together with firearms and experimented with explosives, discussing plans to storm the state capitol building and attack police officers in their homes, authorities said.

Fox had recently suffered personal setbacks in his life, and federal investigators often worry that in cases of domestic extremists and terrorists, such reversals can act as triggering events, propelling them to turn their violent ideas into action. In Fox’s case, there were two such issues – his apparently rocky relationship with his girlfriend and near homelessness.

In the 24 hours since Fox’s arrest, the store where he’d been living has been flooded with hate calls accusing the owner of enabling Fox, who was about to be homeless with two large dogs, before the business’ owner Brian Titus allowed Fox to stay temporarily, according to an employee of the store, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of privacy and safety concerns.

“People have said, ‘How did you not know you were housing a white supremacist?’ ” said the employee, who said Fox could be erratic and arrogant, but there was no indication his views crossed into the kind of violent plans described in court papers by federal investigators.

“He was afraid the government was going to take his guns,” the employee said. Those at the store were aware of Fox’s Second Amendment views and involvement with a group of armed men, which did not strike them as unusual for the area.

Michigan kidnapping plot, like so many other extremist crimes, foreshadowed on social media

Support for local self-styled militia groups and the Second Amendment right to bear arms have a long history in the state, especially in western Michigan where strains of social and political conservatism intermingle with gun owner culture.

Titus, the owner of the Vac Shack, has stressed in interviews to local media he would have alerted officials if he had gotten wind of any plans to commit violence. He also said he didn’t know about a June 20 meeting in the basement of his store, described by the FBI in court papers, in which Fox and others allegedly discussed plans for attacking the state capital.

The store employee allowed The Washington Post to enter the basement, which was accessed through a cellar-door-style entrance, though authorities have called it a trap door. Fox had a small area in the basement where he slept amid boxes, old filing cabinets and spare vacuum parts. He kept a mini refrigerator and several large dog crates nearby, but appeared to have few personal belongings beyond some clothing.
It was unclear what, if anything, federal agents might have confiscated at the time of his arrest.

One of alleged plotters, 23-year-old Daniel Harris, attended a Black Lives Matter protest in June, telling the Oakland County Times he was upset about the killing of George Floyd and police violence.

Parker Douglas, a lawyer for Harris, said his client was a former Marine who lived at home with his parents and did construction work.
Douglas said Harris told him some things described in the FBI affidavit were taken out of context while others he “thinks just didn’t happen.”
Douglas said his client believes “not everybody mentioned in this knew everything that is described in this complaint.” He said his client, in a brief meeting, had suggested he had voted for candidates from both parties, had not expressed a view on President Trump and seemed to favor small government.

Authorities in Michigan said six of the seven people facing state terrorism charges have been arraigned, while the seventh is awaiting extradition from South Carolina. The six others facing federal charges have court appearances scheduled next week.

The seven people charged in Michigan were described by Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office as members or associates of a self-styled militia group called the “Wolverine Watchmen.” Bond for three of them — Eric Molitor, 36; Michael Null, 38; and William Null, 38 — was set at $250,000. Shawn Fix, 38, was arraigned Friday and given the same bond. All four are facing charges of providing material support for terrorist acts and carrying or possessing a firearm during commission of a felony.

Two others — Joseph Morrison, 26, and his father-in-law, Pete Musico, 42 — were arraigned Thursday and both given $10 million cash bond. They each face the same charges as the others as well as additional counts of a threat of terrorism and gang membership.

The seventh person facing state charges, 21-year-old Paul Bellar, was arrested in Columbia, S.C., and Nessel’s office is seeking to extradite him so he can be arraigned in Michigan. He faces charges of material support for terrorist acts, gang membership and carrying or possessing a gun during commission of a felony.

In Munith, Mich., where Fox’s associates allegedly trained at the home where Morrison and Musico both lived, neighbors said the one-acre property was well-known for a regular cacophony of gunfire and explosions.

Neighbors Pam and Roger Karshnock said men in camouflage fatigues parked their cars and trucks along the road and fired rifles and other weapons, they said, rattling residents whose children play in the woods.

But in the past four months, the noise would come like clockwork: Every Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. the group fired hundreds of rounds on the land, the couple said.

On Wednesday, hours before law enforcement raided the home, a blast shook the Karshnock’s windows, they said, leading them to later believe it was a test of a homemade explosive.

It was unclear if all of the men facing state charges had attorneys. Philip C. Curtis, an attorney representing Musico, said he was appointed late Friday afternoon, had not met with his client yet and did not have any comment. George D. Lyons, who is representing Morrison, also declined to comment.

At the Morrison residence Friday, a reporter could see windows smashed out of a trailer and a Confederate flag hanging outside. The arrests were a relief for some neighbors, but others were not confident it was the end of activity there.

“They locked two of them up. But they got family and friends,” said a woman in passing. “This ain’t over.”

Thomas O’Connor, a former FBI agent who spent decades investigating domestic extremists, said the most concerning element of the case is the sheer number of individuals arrested.

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Lucky Luke said:

He is a great watch. He gives me hope that Americans are better than how they have been portrayed in the last 4 years.

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“In recent years, the incidents of violence or potential violence coming from extremist elements has often been one-off lone offenders, or very small numbers of people,” O’Connor said. “It’s disturbing to see 13 people charged, that that many people have the belief system putting them to the point where they are willing to commit violence.”

The arrests in Michigan could be the start of a busy time for the FBI, as it tries to prevent violence after a turbulent summer of civil unrest now facing a highly partisan national election.

O’Connor said that before major events, such as an election or political convention, FBI agents will often review their outstanding cases to see if subjects under investigation are preparing to commit violence.

Thomas O’Connor, a former FBI agent who spent decades investigating domestic extremists, said the most concerning element of the case is the sheer number of individuals arrested.

“In recent years, the incidents of violence or potential violence coming from extremist elements has often been one-off lone offenders, or very small numbers of people,” O’Connor said. “It’s disturbing to see 13 people charged, that that many people have the belief system putting them to the point where they are willing to commit violence.”

The arrests in Michigan could be the start of a busy time for the FBI, as it tries to prevent violence after a turbulent summer of civil unrest now facing a highly partisan national election.

O’Connor said that before major events, such as an election or political convention, FBI agents will often review their outstanding cases to see if subjects under investigation are preparing to commit violence.

“Whenever you have an event which could potentially be a trigger for people to act, you have to scrub your investigations to make sure that you don’t have someone that trigger will send into action,” he said. “I’m sure people are concerned inside law enforcement and outside law enforcement that the election cycle is potentially a trigger for a person with extreme views that might take steps toward violence.”

O’Connor said the case, built on the work of informants who secretly recorded the alleged plotting, could help dissuade any other would-be terrorists from trying to conduct politically motivated violence.

“Historically, the fear of infiltration by human sources has made groups eat their young, and can cause the groups to break up because they start seeing informants behind every door,” O’Connor said. “That’s not a bad thing.”

One of the men charged, William Null, had appeared in public with a local law enforcement official.

Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf said he met Null several years ago when Null came to his office to vent about the Black Lives Matter movement. Leaf said Null wanted to start his own cause: My Life Matters, which he would eventually turn into what he called the Michigan Liberty Militia.

Leaf said he would periodically run into Null at gun rights rallies in the state, and he “seemed to be a very concerned, straight shooting guy.”
During the Flint water crisis, Leaf said, Null told him he drove to Flint to pass out water bottles alongside those involved in the Black Lives Matter movement.

Leaf said that in May, he was invited to speak at a protest of Whitmer’s coronavirus restrictions, and Null and others associated with him provided security. Leaf, who is opposed to the restrictions and what he views as government overreach, said he invited Null on stage to make a point about self-described militias being the last line of defense for people’s rights if government fails. Leaf said he had no indication that Null was plotting to kidnap Whitmer, or that he was capable of that.

“That’s why this is so shocking to me,” Leaf said. “I did not see this coming. Had I caught wind they were even talking about this, I would have stopped it immediately.”

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hanimmal said:

Check out what the turd of a sheriff is saying now:

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hanimmal said:

continued:

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