Televised executions were part of the plot to kidnap Michigan governor, officials say

A militia group with plans to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also considered executing hostages on television before their plot was foiled, according to new court documents.

The new information was revealed by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, which was arguing against a bond reduction of one of the militia men, Pete Musico. Fourteen men have been charged in the case, which the attorney general’s office is prosecuting, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Some of the accused extremists, known as the Wolverine Watchmen, had two plans during a 2nd Amendment rally they attended at Michigan’s Capitol building in June, documents uploaded by WWMT revealed.

The first plan involved them recruiting 200 men and storming the Capitol building while Congress was in session.

“They were to take hostages, execute tyrants and have it televised,” court documents show. “It would take about one week and (said) that no one is coming out alive.”

A separate plan involved them setting fire to the Capitol building while the legislature was meeting, according to the filing.

But because of “tactical difficulties” with the initial plan, Musico is accused of developing his own Plan B— which involved kidnapping politicians at their own homes, documents reveal.

“Everyone has addresses,” Musico allegedly said, according to the filing. He suggested they look up the addresses of politicians’ and law enforcement officers’ homes to execute his plan.

Members of the Wolverine Watchmen were required to attend training exercises for months in Michigan to prepare for the plot, according to the documents obtained by WWMT. A training schedule listed two-dozen strategies, including “vehicle maneuvers,” “convoy tactics” and “taking a (possible) hostile vehicle over,” the attorney general’s office said in the filing.

Officials say they eventually turned their strategy towards kidnapping Whitmer — criticized by some for implementing statewide restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus — and hoped to enact the plot by Election Day, McClatchy News reported.

The Wolverine Watchmen communicated on a private Facebook page, referring to themselves as “Boojahidden,” which references “fighters with weapons, gear and training who are willing to die for their cause,” according to the court filing.

They were accused of finalizing their kidnapping plot before the months-long investigation by the FBI and Michigan State Police led to their arrests, McClatchy News reported.

Musico’s bond was cut from $10 million to $100,000 and he posted the bond in October, according to The Detroit News.

This story was originally published November 19, 2020 at 4:25 PM with the headline "Televised executions were part of the plot to kidnap Michigan governor, officials say."