LANSING- Members of the antigovernment group, Michigan III%ers had allegedly been speaking about kidnapping Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The FBI heard members were surveilling her home and created explosive devices through undercover agents. Six men were federally charged with conspiring to kidnap Gov. Whitmer and seven others were charged under the antiterrorism act.
Informants and undercover agents are key in ensuring these radical groups do not actually do what they speak about in the online forums and meetings many groups have. Michigan has a history of private militia's inciting violence, including the Michigan Militia who attracted the Oklahoma City bomber to its meetings. However, with growing online presence these groups are getting larger and stronger.
The group reached out to another antigovernment group called the Wolverine Watchmen to kidnap the governor. The FBI already had an informant in that group, so it was an easy catch on law enforcement's part. Membership in these groups alone is not illegal, and neither is speaking about the things they do.
Lee Miracle, the leader of another 200-member militia says many members are more level-headed than people think. The kidnapping plot really came to a head after her lockdown measures. Defense attorneys for the men question if there is any evidence that the men were actually going to follow through or if they were simply talking.
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