Thirteen men, including members of two militias of the right, were arrested in the united States by conspiring to kidnap the governor, a democrat from the state of Michigan and “inciting a civil war”, said on Thursday the local authorities.
The governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, who was among the favorites to complete the formula a democrat who postulated the presidency to Joe Biden, a rival of Donald Trump in the election of November 3, thanked police for foiling the plot of sequestration, and chastised the president for not condemning the hate groups.
In announcing the arrests, attorney general of Michigan, Dana Nessel, described the conspiracy to kidnap Whitmer, 49, as a “threat serious and credible.”
Andrew Birge, u.s. attorney for the western district of Michigan, said that six men face federal charges for conspiring to kidnap Whitmer of your holiday home.
According to the official, monitored the residence and even had an improvised explosive device, which intended to use to divert the police from the house.
They were arrested by agents of the FBI and the police of Michigan on Wednesday when they met to “gather up funds for explosives and exchange tactical team,” said the Department of Justice.
– “Defend all” –
Whitmer was attacked repeatedly by Trump this year to impose a hard confinement to restrain the coronavirus, and armed groups of right have staged protests in the state capital, Lansing, against their orders to stay at home.
“I RELEASE TO MICHIGAN!”, tweeted Trump in April.
Whitmer said that he never imagined that something like this could happen. “We are not enemies among us. This virus is our enemy,” he said.
Whitmer rejected the refusal of Trump, in the debate with Biden last week, condemning the white supremacists and “hate groups” as the two militias of Michigan that allegedly planned to kidnap her. “Go back and wait, we said (Trump,” said Whitmer.
“When our leaders meet, encourage or confraternizan with terrorists, national, legitimize their actions, they are complicit,” he said.
Biden, who is leading the survey, said in a statement to have spoken with Whitmer and commended the FBI and the police “for his work to prevent this act unhinged by terrorists national emboldened”.
He added that Trump “is giving oxygen to the fanaticism and hatred” in the country, so “we have to stop”.
On Twitter, the republican president never expressed any sympathy for Whitmer. “Instead of giving thanks,” by the action of the FBI, “she calls me a white supremacist,” he complained.
And he added: “do NOT tolerate extreme violence. I defend ALL americans, even those who oppose or attack me, is what we always will do as your president!”
– “Violent overthrow” –
The attorney general of Michigan said that in addition to the six men arrested for plotting to kidnap Whitmer, seven members of a group of militias called Wolverine Watchmen faced state charges.
It is suspected that attempted to identify the addresses of the houses of the agents of the order to aim against them for “inciting a civil war,” said Nessel.
Also planned to attack the capitol building in Lansing and planning to kidnap government officials, including Whitmer said.
The seven were accused of various crimes linked with terrorist acts and belonging to a gang.
The FBI said he learned through social networks at the beginning of 2020 “, a group of people I was discussing the violent overthrow of certain figures in government and police”.
A confidential informant attended a meeting in June about 14 people, said the FBI, in that the group “talked about the creation of a society that would embrace the Declaration of Rights of the united States where they could be self-reliant.”
“They discussed different ways to achieve this goal, from peaceful efforts to violent actions,” according to court documents show, that “several members spoke of murder ‘tyrants'”.
The six men accused of plotting to kidnap Whitmer were identified as Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta.
Croft is a resident of Delaware, while the other five live in Michigan.
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