Grand jury adds new charges against three men accused of conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Three men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer have had new charges added after a grand jury accused them of planning to use “weapons of mass destruction” to blow up a bridge, the Justice Department said.

Adam Fox, 40, of Wyoming, Michigan; Barry Croft Junior, 45, of Bear, Delaware; and Daniel Joseph Harris, 23, of Lake Orion, Michigan, have been charged with conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction, in addition to a kidnapping conspiracy charge in October, Reuters reported today.

The justice department accuses them of planning to delay or harm Governor Whitmer’s security detail and nearby police officers by destroying a bridge near her holiday home, a Justice Department statement said.

The new indictment releasded on Wednesday supercedes the previous one and also alleged that Mr Croft and Mr Harris possessed a “destructive device” that was not registered as required by U.S. federal law.

It also claimed that Mr Harris possessed an unregistered semiautomatic assault rifle.

Governor Whitmer was allegedly targeted by around 14 individuals as a result of Covid-19 restrictions she put in place affecting businesses and social activities in the state.

The alleged plot to kidnap the politician from her home and leave her stranded in a boat on Lake Michigan was foiled by undercover informants and federal agents who had embedded themselves in the group.

The men reportedly 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.