United States – FBI thwarts militia plot to kidnap Michigan governor
On Thursday (8 October), prosecutors announced federal and state charges against 13 men, seven of them members of an anti-government militia group called Wolverine Watchmen, over an alleged plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer. According to an FBI source, the men met secretly in Dublin, Ohio in June and discussed murdering ‘tyrants’ or ‘taking’ a sitting governor.
The suspects allegedly planned to seize Whitmer from her vacation home and stage a ‘treason trial’ ahead of next month’s presidential election. Six of the men named in a federal complaint could face life in prison if convicted on attempted kidnapping charges.
An armed protester stands in the Michigan Capitol Building in Lansing, on April 30. Photographer: Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg
Why it matters: In April, demonstrators stormed the Michigan capitol building in Lansing in protest at Whitmer’s stay-at-home order issued during the initial months of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Strict restrictions imposed by Whitmer led anti-lockdown groups to mobilise, with President Donald Trump offering his support to protesters on Twitter. The FBI’s thwarting of the plot reveals that elements of the anti-lockdown movement had ties to militia movements inspired by the far-right 'boogaloo' movement.
In the one-month outlook, there is a credible risk of further attempted political violence, particularly carried out by extremist organisations targeting high-profile politicians, especially at the city and state-level, where leaders are directly responsible for deciding on coronavirus-related restrictions.
Organisations with interests in the US should monitor updates and, where necessary, adjust security planning to account for heightened political tension.