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The Nation
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TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2010
9 members of militia group charged in plot against U.S.
by Carrie Johnson
Authorities unsealed charges
MADALYN RUGGIERO/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Law enforcement officials searched Monday for one militia group member who was found in the evening.
Monday against nine members of an armed militia group, accus- ing them of seditious conspiracy and attempting to deploy weap- ons of mass destruction, in a case
that highlights a strain of ex- tremism focused against the fed- eral government. The Michigan-based group, known as the Hutaree, allegedly had plotted to attack a law en- forcement officer and then det- onate improvised explosive de- vices to kill more officials gath-
THE WAY FORWARD
ered for the first officer’s funeral procession. Members of the homegrown Christian militia accumulated weapons and ex- plosives to target employees of the federal government, the law enforcement “brotherhood” and other participants in what they called the “New World Order,” the indictment says. Prosecutors say the leaders of the militia are David Brian Stone, 45, also known as “Cap- tain Hutaree” or “Joe Stone- wall,” and two of his sons, who served as explosives experts and organizational kingpins. One son, Joshua Matthew Stone, 21, was apprehended Monday eve- ning in southern Michigan. The other members of the group were arraigned Monday in a fed- eral courthouse in Detroit. At- torneys for the Hutaree could not be located to comment. Court papers suggested that the plans moved slowly toward action this year. The group first began laying a foundation two years ago with military style training and the stockpiling of guns and explosives, court pa- pers say. To carry out their plans, Hutaree leaders allegedly collected materials and found information about bombs on the Internet. In
February, David Brian Stone reached out to an un- named person to procure four explosive devices to take to a summit of militia groups in Kentucky, but snowy weather prevented the men from reach- ing their destination, according to the indictment. Stone had singled out an officer near his community in Adrian, Mich., as a potential target, prosecutors say. The Hutaree announced a co-
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vert exercise for April 24, de- creeing that passersby who got in the way could be killed, the indictment says. “Because the Hutaree had planned a covert reconnais- sance operation . . . which had the potential of placing an un- suspecting member of the pub- lic at risk, the safety of the pub- lic and the law enforcement community demanded inter- vention at this time,” said Michi- gan U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade. Attorney General Eric H.
Holder Jr. issued a statement describing the plan as “insidi- ous.” “Thankfully, this alleged plot has been thwarted and a severe blow has been dealt to a danger- ous organization that today stands accused of conspiring to levy war against the United States,” Holder said. The Southern Poverty Law
Center, which tracks extremist groups, identifies the Hutarees as one of 11 militias in Michigan. The group’s Web site bears the slogan “preparing for the end time battles to keep the testi- mony of Jesus Christ alive.” You- Tube videos display members of the group running across the woods brandishing firearms and wearing tiger-striped cam- ouflage uniforms. Their shirt sleeves bear patches containing a black cross, two red spears, a V shape symbolizing the “support- ing hands of the Hutaree” and the initials CCR, for Colonial Christian Republic, the court papers say.
Describing their philosophy, a
Web site tied to group members said that “Jesus wanted us to be ready to defend ourselves using the sword and stay alive using equipment.” The site also con- tained hate-filled rhetoric about minorities. AMySpace page described the
Hutaree mood as “distraught” after FBI raids on Sunday in sev- eral Midwestern states. The others charged in the case are: Tina Stone, the wife of the alleged Hutaree leader; Da- vid Brian Stone Jr., his son; Joshua Clough; Michael Meeks; Thomas Piatek; Kristopher Sick- les; and Jacob Ward. The seditious-conspiracy
charges carry a maximum pen- alty of 20 years in prison, and at- tempted use of a weapon of mass destruction carries a maxi- mum term of life. Andrew Arena, FBI special
agent in charge in Detroit, said the case exemplifies the bu- reau’s no-nonsense approach to radical fringe groups. Investiga- tors operate carefully, in re- sponse to First Amendment pro- tections, but they take steps to disrupt alleged plots as targets appear to move closer to trans- lating their beliefs into action, FBI veterans said.
johnsonca@washpost.com
Staff writer Spencer S. Hsu contributed to this report.
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