Michigan Attorney General's Office
Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Attorney General Dana Nessel on Thursday charged an eighth person in connection with the alleged plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and spark a civil war by attacking state police and the Michigan Capitol.
An additional six suspects were charged on the federal level last week.
Brian Higgins, 51, of Wisconsin Dells, Wis., was arrested Thursday in Wisconsin on a count of material support of an act of terrorism, a felony carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He is expected to be soon extradited to Michigan for arraignment in 86th District Court in Antrim County.
Higgins is accused of providing “the use of his night-vision goggles for the surveillance” of Whitmer’s vacation home in northern Michigan, according to an affidavit. "Additionally, he used a mounted digital dash camera located in his vehicle to record the surveillance of the governor’s home in order to aid in kidnapping plans."
A total of 20 state felony charges have been filed against eight suspects in the kidnapping plot, and all are said to be members or associates of the militia group Wolverine Watchmen.
“While the political rhetoric in our nation may at times be divisive, I am encouraged by the united front our law enforcement community has displayed in response to this indescribable act of terror,” Nessel said in a statement. “These were very credible, and very serious threats to our elected officials and the public in general, and the swift actions taken by state and federal authorities this past week are nothing short of heroic.”
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