Militia group plan to kidnap Whitmer was part of attempt to start civil war: officials

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/520319-militia-group-plan-to-kidnap-whitmer-was-part-of-attempt-to-start-civil

By Justine Coleman - 10/08/20 11:15 PM EDT

The militia group whose members planned to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) was attempting to instigate a civil war through attacks on the state Capitol building and targeting police officers, officials said Thursday.

Members of the group, identified by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel as the Wolverine Watchmen, are accused of crimes such as conducting surveillance outside of Whitmer’s vacation home, using code language and encrypted messages and putting a bomb under a bridge to distract police.

In total, 13 members were charged with felony crimes, including the six who were charged for the governor kidnapping plot, the Detroit Free Press reported. 

•••••

“There has been a disturbing increase in anti-government rhetoric and the re-emergence of groups that embrace extremist ideologies,”  Nessel said at a press conference. "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.”

Nessel’s announcement of charges against the seven additional members came after the FBI filed an affidavit on Thursday saying it stopped an attempt to abduct Whitmer in an alleged terror plot.

•••••