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| F.B.I. Says a Michigan Militia Plotted to Kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Six men were arrested and accused of plotting with a militia group to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, the authorities announced on Thursday. | Six men were arrested and accused of plotting with a militia group to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, the authorities announced on Thursday. |
| The men, who the F.B.I. said espoused anti-government views, had talked about taking Ms. Whitmer, a Democrat, hostage since at least the summer, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court and unsealed on Thursday. | The men, who the F.B.I. said espoused anti-government views, had talked about taking Ms. Whitmer, a Democrat, hostage since at least the summer, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court and unsealed on Thursday. |
| They had surveilled Ms. Whitmer’s vacation home in August and September, and they indicated that they wanted to take her hostage before the presidential election in November, Richard J. Trask II, an F.B.I. special agent, said in the criminal complaint. He said the F.B.I. believed the men were planning to buy explosives this week for their attempt. | They had surveilled Ms. Whitmer’s vacation home in August and September, and they indicated that they wanted to take her hostage before the presidential election in November, Richard J. Trask II, an F.B.I. special agent, said in the criminal complaint. He said the F.B.I. believed the men were planning to buy explosives this week for their attempt. |
| Several of the men had talked about creating a society in which they could be “self-sufficient” and one said he wanted 200 men to storm the Statehouse in Lansing, Mich, the complaint said. | Several of the men had talked about creating a society in which they could be “self-sufficient” and one said he wanted 200 men to storm the Statehouse in Lansing, Mich, the complaint said. |
| Over the summer, the men gathered for firearms training, combat drills and tried to make explosives; in July, one of the men said the group should take Ms. Whitmer hostage and move her to a “secure location” in Wisconsin for a “trial,” the agent said. | Over the summer, the men gathered for firearms training, combat drills and tried to make explosives; in July, one of the men said the group should take Ms. Whitmer hostage and move her to a “secure location” in Wisconsin for a “trial,” the agent said. |
| The F.B.I. said it had learned so much about the group by intercepting encrypted messages and because it had undercover agents and confidential informants working with the group. | The F.B.I. said it had learned so much about the group by intercepting encrypted messages and because it had undercover agents and confidential informants working with the group. |
| The six men — five of whom live in Michigan and one of whom lives in Delaware — were charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which can carry a life sentence. More details were expected at a news conference later on Thursday with the state’s attorney general. | The six men — five of whom live in Michigan and one of whom lives in Delaware — were charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which can carry a life sentence. More details were expected at a news conference later on Thursday with the state’s attorney general. |
| Ms. Whitmer has been the subject of attack from right-wing protesters for measures she imposed to control the spread of the coronavirus. | Ms. Whitmer has been the subject of attack from right-wing protesters for measures she imposed to control the spread of the coronavirus. |
| Thousands of people gathered at the State Capitol to protest the executive orders she issued shutting down most of the state to help stop the spread of the virus that has now infected more than 145,000 Michiganders and killed more than 7,000. | Thousands of people gathered at the State Capitol to protest the executive orders she issued shutting down most of the state to help stop the spread of the virus that has now infected more than 145,000 Michiganders and killed more than 7,000. |
| In April, President Trump openly encouraged such protests, tweeting, “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” | |
| The protests featured some signs with swastikas, Confederate flags and language that advocated violence against Ms. Whitmer, including one man who carried a doll with brown hair hanging from a noose. Many in the crowd carried semiautomatic weapons, leading some Democrats in the Legislature to call for a ban on guns in the Capitol. | |
| Republicans in the Legislature sued Ms. Whitmer in May over the executive orders and opponents of her lockdown orders filed petitions with more than 500,000 signatures with the secretary of state last week to repeal the law that gives governors authority to declare emergencies during times of a public health crisis. The Michigan Supreme Court ruled last week that her use of the 1945 law was unconstitutional. | Republicans in the Legislature sued Ms. Whitmer in May over the executive orders and opponents of her lockdown orders filed petitions with more than 500,000 signatures with the secretary of state last week to repeal the law that gives governors authority to declare emergencies during times of a public health crisis. The Michigan Supreme Court ruled last week that her use of the 1945 law was unconstitutional. |
| Michigan has a long history of anti-government activity. A group known as the Michigan Militia dates back to the early 1990s, when Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, later convicted of carrying out the Oklahoma City bombing attack in 1995 that killed 168 people, attended a few of its early meetings. It resurfaced again around 2008 and 2009, with the election of Barack Obama as president. | |
| More recently, armed groups of men began appearing at some demonstrations, most notably the 2017 march by white nationalists in Charlottesville, Va. | |
| The upheavals in 2020 provided new impetus for militia groups to move from the online world onto the streets. During protests against the virus lockdowns, they accused the government of “overreach,” suggesting that business closings and mask mandates were forms of tyranny. That initial scattered presence mushroomed with the nationwide protests over social justice after George Floyd died at the hands of police in May. When some protests degenerated into arson and looting, militiamen appeared on the streets, saying that they were there to protect homes and businesses that law enforcement could not. | |
| But some groups fervently opposed to the government in general and especially law enforcement claimed that they mobilized to protect protesters from officers. | |
| Experts in the field have been worried about greater violence fomented by militias in the weeks before and after the Nov. 3 elections, especially since Mr. Trump has repeatedly suggested that his opponents might be trying to steal the election. | |
| All 50 states have some manner of ban on private paramilitary activity, leading some groups to avoid calling themselves “militias.” | |
| In response to the charges on Thursday, Mike Shirkey, the Republican majority leader in the State Senate, wrote on Twitter that a “threat against our Governor is a threat against us all” and called the men accused of the conspiracy “traitors.” | |
| “We condemn those who plotted against her and our government,” he wrote. “They are not patriots. There is no honor in their actions.” | “We condemn those who plotted against her and our government,” he wrote. “They are not patriots. There is no honor in their actions.” |
| This is a developing story. Check back for updates. | This is a developing story. Check back for updates. |
| Neil MacFarquhar contributed reporting. |