They are accused of conspiring for months to kidnap Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a staunch opponent of Donald Trump, and trigger a ” civil war “ : 13 men linked to an American far-right group were indicted Thursday, October 8, after the FBI had foiled their plot, thanks to informants and undercover agents.
Six of the conspirators, considered to be “Violent extremists” by West Michigan District Attorney Andrew Birge planned to kidnap Mr.me Whitmer ahead of the November 3 presidential election, then the “To judge” for “Betrayal”, according to the indictment released Thursday.
Seven other men associated with the local “Wolverine Watchmen” group were also arrested and charged with planning. “An operation to attack the Capitol building and kidnap government officials, including the governor”Michigan Justice Minister Dana Nessel added. These militiamen also “Uttered threats of violence to provoke a civil war”, explained Mme Nessel.
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“I had never imagined such a thing”
The governor said she was shocked by the news. “When I took the oath twenty-two months ago, I knew this job could be difficult. But, to be honest, I had never imagined such a thing “, reacted Gretchen Whitmer at a press conference.
And she accused President Donald Trump of “Legitimize” actions of “Interior terrorists”, by refusing in particular to condemn the supporters of white supremacism, last week, during his debate against the Democratic candidate, Joe Biden.
Sure Twitter, the Republican President expressed no sympathy towards Mr.me Whitmer. “Rather than say thank you” for the action of the FBI, “She calls me a white supremacist”, he complained. “I do NOT tolerate extreme violence. Defending ALL Americans, even those who oppose or attack me, is what I will always do as your president! “ he added, however.
“Liberate Michigan”
The investigation began at the beginning of the year when the federal police “Learned on social networks that a group of individuals spoke of overthrowing by violence certain components of the government and the police”, according to the indictment. The suspects were very active on confidential groups and Facebook pages, on Twitter, Youtube or even Tik Tok, where they relayed their intentions, as the story goes. Washington post.
The six defendants, who were arrested, notably accused the governor of being a “Tyrant” and exercise “Unchecked power”. Mme Whitmer had decreed in mid-March some of the most severe restrictions in the country to curb the epidemic due to the coronavirus in his state in the northern United States, at the time one of the most affected by Covid-19. She then became the regular target of attacks by Mr. Trump, who had in a Tweet called to “Liberate Michigan”.
Thousands of lockdown opponents, some heavily armed, have repeatedly demonstrated to reopen Michigan’s economy. At the end of April, armed demonstrators had even entered the Capitol, the seat of state government, to demand the relaxation of health measures.
Several removal scenarios considered
To complete their project, the six men contacted the Wolverine Watchmen, with whom they trained for the operation. Several kidnapping scenarios had been considered: in Lansing, the state capital, at Mr.me Whitmer and his vacation home in northern Michigan. The conspirators monitored the governor’s various residences and tested homemade explosive devices, said Andrew Birge.
They also attempted to purchase other explosives, according to an undercover FBI agent cited in the indictment. In July, one of them said on the phone that he wanted “Overturn everything”. “I just want the world to go up in flames, man. I’m not even kidding […]. I don’t care, I’m so sick of it. This is what we have to do to recover [le monde ; NDLR], everything must be annihilated. We’re gonna turn it all over, man. It is [ce que font] the great conquerors, man ”, he says, words cited by the prosecution.
Sentences of up to life imprisonment
The six men are being prosecuted at the federal level and face sentences of up to life. The other seven are being prosecuted for violating Michigan’s anti-terrorism law, including for “Material support for a terrorist act” and “Gang membership”, crimes each punished by twenty years in prison, said Dana Nessel.
These arrests come in a climate of extreme tension between the Republican president and his Democratic opponents less than a month before the election, while the pandemic due to the coronavirus has plunged the United States into a serious economic crisis.
“We are not enemies, this virus is our enemy”, pleaded Thursday Mme Whitmer. But while the pandemic was to be an opportunity for “National unity”, Donald Trump “Spent the last seven months at […] stir up mistrust and comfort those who spread fear and hatred ”, she said.
“What he says matters”, added Joe Biden, believing that by calling “Liberate Michigan”Mr. Trump had encouraged far-right militias.
