An FBI agent testified on Wednesday that an informant wanted out of the Wolverine Watchmen but was prevailed upon to stay in and infiltrate the group after he initially called his local police department.
“He just wanted to notify us about the Wolverine Watchmen and tell us that the group was a danger to law enforcement,” the agent said.
The informant told police that the members were tracking officers’ addresses with plans to kill them.
This information was revealed at the preliminary hearing for three of the 14 men accused in the kidnapping plot against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
READ: How a post office worker became FBI’s inside man into terrorism plot against Gov. Whitmer
READ: 3 men charged in domestic terrorism plot against Gov. Whitmer appear in court
Paul Bellar, Joe Morrison and Pete Musico are facing charges, accused of supplying materials to support terrorist acts. The group is accused of plotting against Whitmer, allegedly angry over her COVID-19 orders.
The FBI said they are part of an anti-government militia group and believers in the “boogaloo” movement. They said the group also trained on Musico’s property in Munith.
“He had propane canisters set up throughout the property so he could shoot them and act as IEDs in case law enforcement approached,” the agent testified.
READ: Who are the Wolverine Watchmen? What is ‘boogaloo’?
READ: A look at group texts between suspects in terrorist plot against Michigan Gov. Whitmer
The Michigan Attorney General’s office said that that was the start of plotting, which included attending an April 30 protest in Lansing where they talked about what it would take to storm the state Capitol building and grab Whitmer.
However, the FBI had already tipped the governor’s security about the group’s alleged scheme due to the informant letting them know early on.