The three men are accused of working with the federally indicted group of six who prosecutors say became enraged over Covid-19 lockdowns mandated by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and sought to try her for treason.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at furniture company Steelcase in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Monday. (Cory Morse/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)
JACKSON, Mich. (CN) Three men charged on the state level for a plan to kidnap Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer went before a judge Tuesday for a pretrial hearing to determine bond conditions and set dates for motion arguments as the parties prepare for a long court battle.
Wisconsin man charged in plot to kidnap Whitmer extradited to Michigan
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A Wisconsin man who had been fighting extradition to Michigan to face charges that he plotted against Michigan s governor has dropped his appeal and was in custody in Antrim County on Tuesday.
Jail officials in Wisconsin and Michigan confirmed Tuesday that Brian Higgins, 52, of Wisconsin Dells, was moved late Monday. He was booked in the Antrim County Jail and was then arraigned Tuesday afternoon via video conference for the 86th District Court and sporting a striped jail outfit.
Higgins is one of 14 men charged in the case.
New “domestic terrorism” charges brought against fascists who plotted to kidnap Michigan Governor Whitmer
A federal grand jury in Michigan returned on Wednesday a superseding indictment that adds charges of conspiracy to “use a weapon of mass destruction” against three defendants and firearms violations against two defendants who plotted to kidnap and execute the governor of Michigan, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, last fall.
A right-wing protester carries his rifle at the State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan in an April 30 demonstration against Whitmer [Credit: AP Photo/Paul Sancya]
Significantly, the superseding indictment issued by the US District Court for the Western District of Michigan Southern Division and signed by Chief US District Judge Robert J. Jonker states that that the plot was an act of “domestic terrorism.” Generally speaking, a superseding indictment can be pursued by a prosecutor or a grand jury when new evidence has been found and the scope of the charge
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A federal grand jury has added weapons of mass destruction charges against three suspects, including a Delaware man, accused of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in an alleged plan that involved blowing up a bridge to slow down the cops.
The new charges carry life sentences.
They were added Wednesday in what is known as a superseding or new indictment against the accused ringleader, Adam Fox, 40, of Wyoming, and two of his alleged cohorts: Barry Croft Jr., 45, of Bear, Delaware, and Daniel Joseph Harris, 23, of Lake Orion.
All three are charged with plotting to blow up a bridge near Whitmer s vacation home last fall to essentially hinder the governor’s security detail and any responding law enforcement officers.
The new charges carry life sentences.
They were added Wednesday in what is known as a superseding or new indictment against the accused ringleader, Adam Fox, 40, of Wyoming and two of his alleged cohorts: Barry Croft Jr., 45, of Bear, Delaware; and Daniel Joseph Harris, 23, of Lake Orion.
All three are charged with plotting to blow up a bridge near Whitmer s vacation home last fall to essentially hinder the governor’s security detail and any responding law enforcement officers.
The new charges come six months after undercover informants and federal agents helped foil an alleged plot to kidnap Whitmer from her vacation home and leave her stranded in a boat in Lake Michigan. The undercover informants and agents had embedded themselves in the group, which allegedly met and schemed in the basement of a vacuum shop in the Grand Rapids area and held training exercises at various locations across the state.