Details surrounding the plan to kidnap radical Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer has police on high alert.
FBI and Police Take Charge
FBI and other federal investigators have revealed that the group that plotted the kidnapping also had plans to “target and kill police” in order to start a “civil war.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation ended an investigation that lasted a month that involved the kidnapping threat.
The FBI subsequently ended with 23 suspects being arrested who are accused of planning to overthrow law enforcement and other government agencies.
First Lt. Mike Shaw of the Michigan State Police discussed the incident with the Detroit Free Press.
“We’re cautious. We’re absolutely more careful,” he said.
“This is one of the tactics these anti-government, domestic terrorism groups use. Law enforcement is the face of the government. If you’re mad at the government, you’re mad at the police.”
Criminal Complaint Filed
FBI Special Agent Richard J. Trask II also told of the risk to police forces in a criminal complaint which was filed in the U.S. District Court on Tuesday:
“The militia group had already been brought to the attention of the FBI by a local police department in March 2020 when members of the militia group were attempting to obtain the addresses of local law enforcement officers,” the filing says.
“At the time, the FBI interviewed a member of the militia group who was concerned about the group’s plan to target and kill police officers and that person agreed to become a CHS (confidential human source).”
Plans to Attack Officers’ Homes
Investigations revealed that the group asked followers of theirs to locate home addresses for police officers.
Executive Director of the Michigan Police Chiefs Association Bob Stevenson gave advice to The Police Tribune on how investigators track and neutralize threats:
“The threat is always there, but this raises it to another level of alarm when you start to target the officers when they’re not in their uniform, not on duty, not working. Now they’re tracking you.”