Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has announced that a 14th person was charged in the case of the attempted kidnapping of the state Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer and plans to 'instigate civil war'. The man, 51-year-old Brian Higgins, was arrested in Wisconsin and will be transferred to Michigan, where he will face trial.
https://t.co/F17iuHqVcE
— Dana Nessel (@dananessel) October 16, 2020
These were very credible and very serious threats to our elected officials and the public in general. The swift actions taken by state and federal authorities this past week are nothing short of heroic.
Higgins has been charged with "alleged participation in a plan of domestic terrorism" under which a group of people was planning to storm the Michigan Capitol building and kidnap the state governor from her vacation home. He has also been charged with providing "material support or resources to a terrorist organization", as he supplied the plotters with night vision goggles and a dash-camera for their surveillance operations. Higgins faces up to 20 years of prison should the court find him guilty on all counts.
Bail Hearings for 13 People Charged in Case
Apart from Higgins, a total of 13 people were charged in the same case – six people who purportedly planned the attack and seven members of the local Wolverine Watchmen militia, whom these six approached to recruit to their cause.
An alleged leader of the plot, Adam Fox, waived his right for a bail hearing on 16 October and will thus remain in custody. Another member of the group, Ty Garbin, was denied his bail under a US judge's decision on the same day.
Attempt to 'Instigate Civil War'
The FBI revealed on 8 October that it successfully thwarted an attempted kidnapping of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and plans to "instigate civil war" in the state plotted by a group of local citizens in concert with the militia. The plotters had been actively recruiting people to their cause, and carrying out surveillance on Whitmer's vacation home, according to the FBI.
The members of the botched plot believed Whitmer "has uncontrolled power" and had "no checks and balances at all" due to her decision to implement strict lockdown measures to counter the coronavirus pandemic. They wanted to put her on "trial" after the kidnapping on "charges" of violating the US constitution with her actions.
