Two of those accused of trying to kidnap the governor of Michigan in 2020 are acquitted

A federal jury on Friday acquitted two men accused of planning the 2020 kidnapping of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, whom they criticized for the restrictions she ordered at the beginning of the pandemic, while not reaching a verdict for the others. two defendants.

The Grand Rapids jury heard charges against Daniel Harris, 24, Adam Fox, 38, Barry Croft Jr., 46, and Brandon Caserta, 33.

All had pleaded not guilty during the trial to the charge of conspiracy to kidnap the governor and faced life in prison.

Harris and Caserta were found not guilty on the charge of conspiring to kidnap the governor,

while the jury could not reach a verdict on Fox and Croft, with which the trial of both has been declared a mistrial and possibly another trial will be held.

And all except Caserta were also charged with knowingly conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction against persons or property, in an alleged plot to delay police response.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer attends an event with President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday, March 9, 2022.Patrick/AP

Croft and Harris were also charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device.

Harris was charged with possession of a semi-automatic assault rifle that was not in his name.

[The plan to kidnap the governor of Michigan sought to prevent Joe Biden from winning the presidency]

"We are obviously disappointed with the outcome," US Attorney Andrew Birge said outside court Friday afternoon.

"We think the jury would convict beyond a reasonable doubt based on the evidence we presented."

In her brief statement, Birge hinted that her office will retry the pending charges.

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"We have two defendants who are awaiting trial and we will work on it again," he said before walking away from the journalists.

Caserta defense attorney Mike Hills celebrated his client's acquittal and blamed FBI informants for being too aggressive.

"I think what the FBI did is inconceivable,"

Hills told reporters outside the courtroom.

"And I think the jury just sent them a message loud and clear."

Whitmer's chief of staff, JoAnne Huls, denounced the "normalization of political violence".  

"Today Michiganders and Americans, especially our children, are experiencing

," Huls said in a statement following the verdicts.

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"The plot to kidnap and kill a governor may seem like an anomaly. But we must be honest about what it really is: the result of violent and divisive rhetoric that is all too common in our country.

. Without accountability, the extremists will grow stronger."

For his part, Hills assured that the defendants were engaged in nothing more than "badmouthing."

“We are free to say so.

If I don't like the governor I can say it loudly in our country”, he added, “That's the beauty of America”.

Defense attorney Chris Gibbons said his client, Fox, expected an acquittal in this trial but is hopeful of better results in another to come.

"Adam is disappointed that he's going to be detained a little longer," Gibbons said, "but we're waiting for a second trial and we'll finally get to where we want to go which is the truth and the justice that I think Adam is entitled to."

Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks had also been arrested as part of the conspiracy before pleading guilty and testifying in this trial against the four.

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The alleged plot to kidnap Whitmer was uncovered in October 2020, when more than a dozen men were arrested on federal and state charges.

They wanted to capture Whitmer at her vacation home and take her to Wisconsin, where she would be put on a "trial" of sorts, according to authorities.

[Trump criticizes Governor Whitmer who was targeted by an extremist group]

The Democratic governor had drawn the ire of far-right activists who opposed the restrictions she imposed that year to curb the spread of COVID-19.

With information from