Multiple raids on Militia groups

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According to WXYZ  Action News in Detroit, “Helicopters were spotted in the sky for much of the night, and agents set up checkpoints throughout the area, including in Sand Creek and Clayton in Lenawee County. Witnesses tell Action News that it was like a small army had descended on the area. A command center, including two satellite trucks and a radio tower, had been set up at the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department in Ann Arbor. It has since been dismantled.”

The raids could possibly be targeting a splinter group the Michigan Militia, the group once mistakenly connected to the Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, although there is no independent confirmation of this.  Their spokesman denies any involvement, and has said the group has not been contacted by the FBI.

There are reports that,“the people arrested in Michigan are from from a group named Hutaree, described as “a Christian-oriented militia group based in Lenawee County [Michigan].”


Source: http://newsjunkiepost.com/2010/03/28/militia-raids-in-multiple-states/

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Federal agents conducted raids over the weekend in Lenawee and Wastenaw counties that reports say may be related to some members of Hutaree, a Christian-militia group in Michigan.

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"We can confirm that there were law enforcement activities in the Lenawee/Washtenaw County area," said Detroit FBI Special Agent Sandra Berchtold. But she added that "the federal warrants are sealed and we can not comment at this time."

The website for Hutaree says that it is "preparing for the end time battles to keep the testimony of Jesus Christ alive." The group's logo is a cross with the initials CCR, Colonial Christian Republic. In one of its videos, a group of men in military gear take down a burning United Nations flag and replace it with their flag, which has a cross.

Other militia groups said they have nothing to do with the federal raids.

"Neither MICHIGANMILITIA.COM nor the SMVM (Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia) have been raided by the FBI. We do nothing illegal." reads a statement on michiganmilitia.com

On the Hutaree website, it warns of an anti-Christ. "As christians we all are a part of the Souls of the Body of Christ, the one true church of Christ. Not any specific man made building or any man controlled organization. This is the belief of the Hutaree soldier, as should the belief of all followers in Christ be. We believe that one day, as prophecy says, there will be an Anti-Christ. All christians must know this and prepare, just as Christ commanded."

The group's message boards contained messages expressing concern about the raids.

A member of Hutaree could not be immediately reached for comment.

Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he was told that the Christian militia group may have been plotting against American Muslims.

"We salute the FBI for breaking up a militia that was seeking to harm American Muslims," Walid said.

Walid said he publicly announced the FBI raids at his group's 10th annual banquet today in Dearborn, which featured the Rev. Jesse Jackson as the keynote speaker.


Source: http://freep.com/article/20100328/NEWS06/100328017/1319/Feds-confirm-activities-in-southeastern-Michigan

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WASHINGTON—A U.S. official says some of the people arrested by the FBI in Midwest raids this weekend face gun charges.
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FBI raids in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio have resulted in three arrests, and officials are pursuing other suspects.

The law enforcement official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the investigation. Federal warrants are sealed.

FBI spokesman Scott Wilson in Cleveland says agents arrested two people Saturday in Ohio and one in Illinois on Sunday.

Michael Lackomar, spokesman for the Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia, says a member of his group was called by members of a religious militia Saturday who claimed their property was being raided. Lackomar says the member from his group declined to help and is cooperating with the FBI.


Source: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/03/28/fbi_makes_arrests_in_midwest_raids_1269817212/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news

[beast]

Posted by steved at 9:24 am
March 29, 2010
commentsREPLIES: 0
Updated: 9 Members of Christian Militia Group Charged With Conspiring to Kill Police Officers

Update: The suspects have been charged with conspiring to kill police officers, according to the AP.

This post was originally published on the Booman Tribune.

So why were all those members of a Christian Militia group arrested over the weekend? The FBI isn’t saying much, except to claim that these people were not involved in any of the recent terrorist threats against Congressional members who voted for health care reform. However, the sealed indictments are supposed to be made public later today.

One article alleges that the group called the Hutaree was involved in a plot to commit sedition (i.e, conspire to “levy war on the United States” including the following:

    Nine members of Hutaree – described by authorities as an anti-government extremist organization – have been indicted on federal charges of attempting to use weapons of mass destruction.At least one member of the group lives in Washtenaw County, and the indictment charges that group members trained in Lenawee County as they “conspired to levy war against the United States.”

    The federal indictment charges that the leader of Hutaree, David Brian Stone (known as RD), was plotting to kill an unspecified member of law enforcement. It says the plan was to kill an officer and then attack law enforcement vehicles with improvised explosive devices when officers gathered for that officer’s funeral.

Other reports claim that the Hutaree made explicit threats of violence against American Islamic groups.

    Charges are expected to be unsealed in federal court in Detroit on Monday. If the reported threats to Islamic organizations are confirmed, CAIR will hold a news conference on the issue later on Monday in Washington, D.C. CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com]The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said at least seven members of a Christian militia group have been arrested in FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force raids and investigations in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. According to media reports, the “Hutaree” militia was targeted after its members made threats of violence against Islamic organizations.

Either situation sounds disturbing. It also appears to me that the FBI moved so quickly against this group because they were already under surveillance, and the recent threats accelerated the FBI’s actions to take these individuals into custody.

    U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade of the Eastern District of Michigan said in a statement that the Hutaree had “planned a covert reconnaissance operation for April, which had the potential of placing an unsuspecting member at risk.” Because of the risk to the public and law enforcement, it “demanded intervention at this time,” McQuade said in the statement.According to the indictment, several local Hutaree members attempted to travel to Kentucky for a summit of militia groups on Feb. 6. David Brian Stone is accused of researching IEDs over the Internet and of soliciting a person to provide four IEDs to take to the summit, the indictment says.

    The indictment also charges that members gathered materials necessary for the manufacturing of such devices. It accuses David Brian Stone and David Brian Stone Jr. of teaching other Hutaree members how to make and use explosive devices.

We’ll know soon enough.

Meanwhile, you can rest assured that Glenn Beck will claim he “knows nothing, nothing” about these potential plots by people against the safety of either Muslim Americans or law enforcement officers. That Beck’s soon to be released in June novel (tentatively titled “The Overton Window”is about a civil war against our government brought about by a group called by Founders Keepers is in no way is meant to encourage his listeners to take up arms against federal, state and local authorities he disparages on a daily basis.

Of course not. His novel is only fiction, after all. Because Glenn Beck would never try to stir up hatred against our government and it’s duly elected leaders.


Source: http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/03/29/9-members-of-christian-militia-group-arrested-what-violence-were-they-plotting/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=alternet#

[Anonymous]

with this moscow subway crap they'll really be cracking down

[beast]

middle america seems to be getting all riled up again.

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[beast]

stand off

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Law enforcement officials may have found the last suspect in the “Hutaree” case.

Sources tell Action News that the FBI is involved in a standoff in North Adams Village, about 30 miles from the site of Saturday’s raid in Adrian. They are believed to be looking for Josh Stone, the son of the group leader David Stone.

The younger Stone has been on the run since the raid. So far the FBI has not commented on the standoff.

Several members of “Hutaree,” a religious militia group based out of Lenawee County, are in court facing federal charges that include conspiracy and attempting to use weapons of mass destruction.

Nine people group members have been charged with a list of federal crimes. Seven of the suspects appeared in court Monday morning to be indicted.

Arrests were made over the weekend after the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Joint Terrorism Task Force took part in raids around Adrian that may be connected to a religious militia group known as “Hutaree.”

In a federal indictment, the government says the group is an anti-government, extremist organization that planned war with the United States. It is also alleged that the group wanted to kill members of law enforcement.

Federal charges include Seditious Conspiracy, Attempt to Use Weapons of Mass Destruction, Teaching/Demonstrating Use of Explosive Materials and two counts of Carrying, Using and Posessing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.

The nine people named in the indictment are as follows:
David Brian Stone, 45
Tina Stone, 44
Joshua Matthew Stone, 21
David Brian Stone, Jr., 19
Joshua Clough, 28
Michael Meeks, 40
Thomas Piatek, 46
Kristopher Sickles, 27
Jacob Ward, 33

The leader of the group is David Stone Sr., and is known by group members as “Captain Hutaree.”

His ex-wife, Donna Stone, talked with Action News about Stone.

“He’s got a temper. He can get radical. He wants things done his way,” Donna Stone told Action News.

Investigators say group members have been meeting regularly to conduct military-style training in order to prepare for war with the government, law enforcement and federal workers.

Brittany Bryant, the woman who is engaged to David Stone Jr. – son of the group’s leader, says the group isn’t dangerous.

“I don’t think they’re dangerous. If they wanted to do something they would have already done something,” says Brittany Bryant.

The FBI conducted multiple raids throughout Saturday and into Sunday, with one of them centered on a property where known members of the militia live.

Helicopters were spotted in the sky for much of the night Saturday, and agents set up checkpoints throughout the area, including in Sand Creek and Clayton in Lenawee County. Witnesses tell Action News that it was like a small army had descended on the area.

A command center, including two satellite trucks and a radio tower, had been set up at the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department in Ann Arbor. It has since been dismantled.

Sunday, authorities also blocked off roads in Dover Township, while they gathered evidence from a home.

The group’s web site shows training videos of men wearing camouflage, carrying rifles, and maneuvering through rough terrain. The site also includes information similar to a manifesto, that says members need to be ready for the Anti-Christ and that Jesus wants members to be ready to defend themselves with the sword.

Authorities are expected to release more information about the investigation early this week.

An official with FBI has also said two people were arrested Saturday in Ohio, and one person was arrested in Illinois.


Source: http://republicbroadcasting.org/?p=7696