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Alleged 'ringleader' in Whitmer kidnapping plot allegedly planned to conduct executions on live TV

Alleged 'ringleader' in Whitmer kidnapping plot planned to take hostages at Capitol building, set it on fire
Posted at 10:18 AM, Nov 19, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-19 13:23:28-05

According to court documents, the members of a militia group who allegedly plotted to kidnap and kill Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer hoped to conduct executions of politicians on live TV.

The documents state that Adam Fox — the man who state and federal officials have called the alleged "ringleader" of the Wolverine Watchmen militia group — devised two separate plans. "Plan A" included recruiting 200 men, taking over the entire state Capitol building, taking hostages and executing "tyrants" on live television.

A secondary plan was to lock the door and set the building on fire.

Fourteen men have been charged by the state and federal government in related cases. The documents were filed in Jackson County Court last month.

The plot planning went on for about six months. Whitmer was allegedly targeted because she imposed the shutdowns of non-essential businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic; the plot was supposed to be carried out before the November election.

Federal and state authorities have said much more evidence will be coming out as the cases against the 14 charged move forward in court.

Federal officials have asked a judge in Grand Rapids, who has jurisdiction over six of the men charged, for a protective order to keep the names of confidential informants and undercover FBI agents private.

This story was originally published by WXYZ in Detroit.