Far-right armed group 'Wolverine Watchmen' member... Plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer
In 2020, planned terror involving explosives and firearms in protest of COVID-19 restrictions
The image shows Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who successfully won re-election in last month's U.S. midterm elections. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Sung-wook] Members of a far-right group who planned a plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan in the United States have been sentenced to heavy prison terms.
On the 15th (local time), according to the New York Times (NYT) and others, the Jackson County Circuit Court in Michigan sentenced Paul Bello (24), Joe Morrison (28), and Pete Musico (45), who were charged with conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, to 7, 10, and 12 years in prison, respectively. In addition to supporting terrorism, they were found guilty of firearm offenses and gang (violent organization) membership.
In court, the defendants expressed apologies to Governor Whitmer and sought leniency, but the court's judgment was different. Usually, when a defendant is charged with two or more offenses, prison terms are concurrently imposed based on similarity, but Morrison and Musico received consecutive sentences, resulting in longer terms. Governor Whitmer said in a recorded video, "The plot to kidnap and kill the governor is a threat to democracy itself," adding, "Since the incident, whenever I look at crowds, I scan to see if there is any threat to those around me." She added, "The sentence should match the severity of the damage done to our democracy."
This case came to light when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uncovered that the far-right armed group 'Wolverine Watchmen' planned to kidnap Governor Whitmer from her vacation spot in October 2020. The group members, including the alleged ringleaders Adam Fox (38) and Barry Croft Jr., were dissatisfied with Michigan's strict COVID-19 restrictions and conspired to kidnap Governor Whitmer. They plotted a terror-level conspiracy involving the use of explosives to evade police pursuit after kidnapping Whitmer. The defendants were found to have received firearms training with Fox in rural Jackson County.
The defense argued that the three defendants had severed ties with Fox by moving to other areas around the summer of 2020 and did not participate in the key training held at a shooting range in Luther, Michigan. The jury, after nine days of deliberation, urged the court to impose heavy sentences based on decisive evidence submitted by the FBI. Meanwhile, Fox and Croft, who led the kidnapping plan, are awaiting judgment on the 27th at the federal district court in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They could face life imprisonment.
Governor Whitmer, a Democrat who has clashed with former President Donald Trump, criticized Trump after the incident, saying he "empowered those who spread fear, hatred, and division." Ahead of the midterm elections in August, Trump actively supported Republican candidates, calling the case a "fake deal" by Governor Whitmer, but Whitmer successfully won re-election last month.
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