2 right-wing militia members convicted of plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer over Covid-19 rules
- Adam Fox and Barry Croft, who targeted Whitmer over her tough Covid-19 rules, were also convicted of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction – a bomb
- Prosecutors say the accused were members of the Boogaloo movement, which was formed around gun culture and the belief that a civil war is looming in the US
Two right-wing militia members were convicted on Tuesday of plotting to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic governor of Michigan, because of the tough Covid-19 pandemic restrictions she imposed on the northern US state.
A federal jury deliberated for eight hours over two days before finding Adam Fox and Barry Croft guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction – a bomb.
“Today’s verdict confirms this plot was very real and very dangerous,” said Andrew Birge, a former US attorney who was appointed by the Justice Department to oversee the trial.
“No elected leader should have to contend with what Governor Whitmer faced here,” Birge said in a statement. “The Justice Department will not tolerate violent extremist plots of this nature seeking to undermine our democracy.”
Fox and Croft, who face a potential sentence of life in prison, were among six alleged right-wing militants arrested in October 2020 following a sting operation by the FBI.