MUNITH, MI—Seven Michigan men were arrested Thursday as part of a sprawling right-wing plot allegedly targeting the state’s government and its embattled governor Gretchen Whitmer in particular.The charges against the men, who allegedly called themselves the “Wolverine Watchmen,” came in tandem with federal charges against six other men in an alleged plot to kidnap Whitmer. The group’s involvement—or lack thereof—with those facing federal charges was murky at the time of the announcements. But social media posts and testimony from neighbors of the “Wolverine Watchmen” suggest they had a disturbing relationship with the far-right paramilitary movement.According to state prosecutors, the “Wolverine Watchmen” group plotted a violent attack on Michigan’s government and sought to incite a civil war this summer, with plans to kidnap elected officials. Some of the defendants, who range in age from 21 to 42, had online presences hinting at violence.READ IT: FBI’s Criminal Complaint in Militia Plot to Kidnap Gretchen WhitmerIn a Thursday afternoon arraignment, Michigan Assistant Attorney General Gregory Townsend called defendants Joseph Morrison and Pete Musico “founding members” of the Wolverine Watchmen, which he described as a group “committed to violence” against the government and politicians.Morrison used his property in Munith, Michigan, for militia training, according to Townsend. Members of the militia, according to Townsend, had participated in some of the same activity alleged against the federal defendants, including plotting to bomb bridges and surveilling Whitmer’s home.“There are multiple members of the Wolverine Watchmen,” Townsend said. “Mr. Morrison was considered the commander.”The property in question, a blighted home in rural Michigan, flies a Confederate and “Original 13” flag. (The latter has sometimes been adopted by racists, inviting controversy about its intended use in some cases.) Junk—rusted cars, a shop vac, coolers—fill the yard.Several neighbors of the pair wouldn’t use their names for fear of retribution from …read more
Source:: Yahoo News
