Domestic terrorismMembers of a Far-Right Militia Arrested in Michigan for Plotting to Abduct Gov. Whitmer

Published 8 October 2020

Six members of the Wolverine Watchmen, an armed, far-right Michigan militia, and seven other men associated with another militia group, were arrested Thursday for plotting to abduct Michigan’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer a week before the 3 November election. The plotters planned to try Whitmer for “treason.” The FBI began monitoring the plotters in March.

Six members of the Wolverine Watchmen, an armed, far-right Michigan militia, and seven other men associated with another militia group, were arrested for plotting to abduct Michigan’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer.

Prosecutors in Michigan said Thursday that the six were apprehended and charged with federal crimes, while another seven were picked up on state charges.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said: “There has been a disturbing increase in anti-government rhetoric and the re-emergence of groups that embrace extremist ideologies. 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.”

Those arrested Thursday are all members of two militia groups “who were preparing to kidnap and possibly kill me,” Whitmer said in an address from Lansing late Thursday afternoon following the arrests.

When I put my hand on the Bible and took the oath of office 22 months ago, I knew this job would be hard,” Whitmer continued. “But I’ll be honest, I never could have imagined anything like this.”

She added: “Just last week, the President of the United States stood before the American people and refused to condemn white supremacists and hate groups like these two Michigan militia groups,” she said. “‘Stand back and stand by,’ he told them. ‘Stand back and stand by.’ Hate groups heard the President’s words not as a rebuke, but as a rallying cry, as a call to action. When our leaders speak, their words matter. They carry weight.”

Whitmer thanked federal and state law enforcement for bringing criminal charges that “hopefully will lead to convictions, bringing these sick and depraved men to justice.”

Prosecutors said that the arrests were the result of an FBI-led investigation which began in March and focused on members of far-right militia groups discussing the “violent overthrow” of government and law enforcement officials.

The six suspects facing federal charges used encrypted messaging to communicate about the plot. They also conducted a coordinated surveillance on the governor’s vacation home, and practiced detonating improvised explosive devices wrapped with shrapnel, officials said.