Experts say far-right groups in the U.S. are taking a more dangerously radical turn as four men go on trial in an alleged scheme to kidnap Michigan’s governor.

The Michigan Militia was first brought to the spotlight after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. AdTimothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the men who carried out the attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, were said to have attended Michigan Militia meetings. Dr. JoEllen Vinyard, a retired EMU history professor, studied the Michigan Militia in the late 1990s and into the early 2000s. “That was one of their major worries across all the different groups.”The early meetings of the Michigan Militia were attended by McVeigh and Nichols. April 9, 2013: Hutaree members sue FBI, Michigan State PoliceAdArena said militia groups have always been a concern for the FBI.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – It’s been going on in plain sight for decades, but since the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol Building, the fight against domestic terrorism has become a top priority. READ: Slain Capitol Police officer honored: ‘We will never forget’Two Michigan Legislatures are taking prominent roles in that fight. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who served as an expert in militias and terrorism for the CIA, announced Thursday she will bring that experience to combating domestic terrorism. “We have been dealing with this rise of extremism and domestic terrorism long before Jan. 6,” Slotkin said. “That will change.”Both Peters and Slotkin pointed to Michigan’s strong domestic terrorism laws and hope their home state will be used as examples for both the good and bad as Michigan take the lead role in a national fight.

LANSING, Mich. – Local 4 Defenders collected new, never-before-seen evidence against the 14 men accused of the terrorist plot to kidnap and possibly kill Gov. Video shows one Wolverine Watchmen member show off his weapons -- including suppressors or silencers, and a locker packed with firearms. Another member, Brandon Caserta of Canton, is seen showing off a 800,000-volt electroshock weapon that federal investigators said he wanted to use on Whitmer. The goal was allegedly to assemble 200 men to storm the Michigan Capitol Building and take hostages -- including Whitmer. The affidavit indicates that Croft not only wanted to go after Whitmer, but other governors across the country.

Gretchen Whitmer also had two other plots to kill Michigan politicians involving public executions and mass murder in the ongoing case, according to newly discovered court filings in a Michigan district court. According to the recent filings, members of the group had a Plan B which was initially Plan A. The group would storm the capitol while the legislature was in session, lock the doors and burn the capitol to the ground. One associate had allegedly attempted to take “selfies” to document entrances and exits at the capitol at a recent rally. This week the Governors of both Michigan and Wisconsin have filed the paperwork to have him extradited to Michigan.

An alleged co-conspirator of the foiled domestic terror plot appeared in a Wisconsin court on Wednesday. He is accused of providing material support to the “Wolverine Watchmen” in their effort to allegedly attempt to kidnap the Michigan governor. Brian Higgins, of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, appeared in a hearing Wednesday via YouTube. District Attorney Brenda Yaskal says there is now a warrant for Higgins’ arrest in both Michigan and Wisconsin. Higgins allegedly traveled to Michigan to take part in the group’s surveillance of the governor’s home up north.

LANSING – Many law enforcement agencies -- local and federal -- are investigating the group behind the terrorism plot to kidnap Gov. While they’re affiliate with the Michigan Militia, the Wolverine Watchmen is its own group with its own goals. The Wolverine Watchmen formed very recently. The boogaloo movement is a loosely organized far-right extremist movement with members advocating for a second Civil War. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the current boogaloo movement was first noticed by extremism researchers in 2019.

MUNITH, Mich. – FBI agents raided a home in Jackson County early Thursday in connection with the kidnapping plot against Gov. Neighbor Pam Karschnock and many others had been fed up with all the shooting at the home in recent months. But Karschnock and others came to learn Thursday that there was more than guys just firing automatic weapons. Karschnock lives next door to the home on Dunn Road in Munith that was raided. In addition to the shooting, neighbors said they had seen several men in militia fatigues at the home on Dunn Road, as well as hearing more than gunshots.

MUNITH, Mich. – Federal and state officials have charged 13 people after uncovering a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and overthrow the Michigan government, FBI agents said. Through confidential informants and undercover agents, the FBI gained access to audio recordings, ground messages and secret meetings as the group plotted for months, according to court records. In addition to a Wednesday night raid in Hartland, FBI agents also raided the home of two of the suspects in Jackson County. Authorities said the Munith home served as a training facility for members of the group now facing terrorism charges.

Paul Bellar, 21, of Milford, was charged with providing material support for terrorist acts, gang membership and a felony firearm violation. Providing material support for terrorists acts, threat of terrorism and gang membership are each 20-year felonies. The felony firearm violations come with mandatory two-year prison sentences, to be served consecutively. You can view mugshots for Bellar, Musico, Morrison, Molitor, Fix and the Nulls below. Brian Higgins was charged after the FBI uncovered a domestic terror plot targeting Michigan Gov.

LANSING, Mich. – Thirteen people have been accused of participating in a scheme to kidnap Michigan Gov. READ: 13 charged in militia plan to kidnap Gov. Whitmer as hostage, overthrow Michigan government, feds sayClick the link above for a deep dive into the details of the scheme to kidnap Whitmer from her vacation home. The six men charged in federal court were arrested Wednesday night and face up to life in prison if convicted. READ: FBI: Group plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov.

Here is a deep dive into the intricate details of a scheme to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home, including quotes from undercover audio recordings, code words used while plotting and a secret trap door hidden under the rug of a Grand Rapids business.

More than a dozen people have been charged after what the FBI is calling a “violent” militia scheme involving people from several different states to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as a hostage and overthrow the Michigan government.