Christian Militia Accused of Plotting to Kill Police Officers (And More!)

[Steven]

Source

DETROIT – Nine alleged members of a Christian militia group that was girding for battle with the Antichrist were charged Monday with plotting to kill a police officer and slaughter scores more by bombing the funeral — all in hopes of touching off an uprising against the U.S. government.

Seven men and one woman believed to be part of the Michigan-based Hutaree were arrested over the weekend in raids in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The ninth suspect was arrested Monday night after a search in rural southern Michigan.

FBI agents moved quickly against Hutaree because its members were planning an attack sometime in April, prosecutors said. Authorities seized guns in the raids but would not say whether they found explosives.

The arrests have dealt "a severe blow to a dangerous organization that today stands accused of conspiring to levy war against the United States," Attorney General Eric Holder said.

Authorities said the arrests underscored the dangers of homegrown right-wing extremism of the sort seen in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.

In an indictment, prosecutors said the group began military-style training in the Michigan woods in 2008, learning how to shoot guns and make and set off bombs.

David Brian Stone, 44, of Clayton, Mich., and one of his sons were identified as ringleaders of the group. Stone, who was known as "Captain Hutaree," organized the group in paramilitary fashion and members were assigned secret names, prosecutors said. Ranks ranged from "radoks" to "gunners," according to the group's Web site.

"It started out as a Christian thing," Stone's ex-wife, Donna Stone, told The Associated Press. "You go to church. You pray. You take care of your family. I think David started to take it a little too far."

Donna Stone said her ex-husband pulled her son into the movement. Another of David Stone's sons was arrested Monday night about 30 miles from the site of the weekend raid at a home where he was found with five other adults and a child.

Joshua Matthew Stone surrendered about 8 p.m., said Andrew Arena, head of the FBI's field office in Detroit. Stone's friends and relatives had recorded messages, urging him to surrender, that the FBI played over loudspeakers outside the home before he and the others came out willingly, Arena said.

"We're guessing he's been in there at least a day," Arena said.

Arena said the other adults at the home were taken into custody and will be interviewed. A determination will be made later about whether they might face charges, he said. The child was 1 or 2 years old, Arena said.

Other details, including whether those in the house had weapons or were affiliated with Hutaree, weren't immediately released.

Prosecutors said David Stone had identified certain law enforcement officers near his home as potential targets. He and other members discussed setting off bombs at a police funeral, using a fake 911 call to lure an officer to his death, killing an officer after a traffic stop, or attacking the family of an officer, according to the indictment.

After such attacks, the group allegedly planned to retreat to "rally points" protected by trip-wired explosives for a violent standoff with the law.

"It is believed by the Hutaree that this engagement would then serve as a catalyst for a more widespread uprising against the government," the indictment said.

The charges against the eight include seditious conspiracy — plotting to levy war against the U.S. — possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, teaching the use of explosives, and attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction — homemade bombs.

Hutaree says on its Web site its name means "Christian warrior" and describes the word as part of a secret language few are privileged to know. The group quotes several Bible passages and declares: "We believe that one day, as prophecy says, there will be an Anti-Christ. ... Jesus wanted us to be ready to defend ourselves using the sword and stay alive using equipment."

The nature of the organization's alleged grudge against law enforcement and the government was unclear. The Web site does not list specific grievances.

The site features a picture of 17 men in camouflage, all holding large guns, and includes videos of armed men running through the woods. Each wears a shoulder patch that bears a cross and two red spears.

David Cid, executive director of the Oklahoma City-based Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, said there has been a resurgence in the past year or two of "domestic militancy" similar to what was seen before the Oklahoma City bombing.

"It's issues like eminent domain and immigration, and apparently national health care in some quarters," said Cid, a former FBI counterterrorism agent. "It's increasing these people's ire and their discomfort with their own government."

The wife of one of the defendants described Hutaree as a small group of patriotic, Christian buddies who were just doing survival training.

"It consisted of a dad and two of his sons and I think just a couple other close friends of theirs," said Kelly Sickles, who husband, Kristopher, was among those charged. "It was supposed to be a Christian group. Christ-like, right, so why would you think that's something wrong with that, right?"

Sickles said she came home Saturday night to find her house in Sandusky, Ohio, in disarray. Agents seized the guns her husband collected as a hobby and searched for bomb-making materials, she said, but added: "He doesn't even know how to make a bomb. We had no bomb material here."

She said she couldn't believe her 27-year-old husband could be involved in anything violent.

"It was just survival skills," she said. "That's what they were learning. And it's just patriotism. It's in our Constitution."

One of the defendants expressed anti-tax views during his Monday court hearing.

Thomas W. Piatek, a truck driver from Whiting, Ind., told a federal judge he could not afford an attorney because he was "getting raped on property taxes."

The mother of another defendant, 33-year-old Jacob Ward, told police in Huron, Ohio, last summer that family members took away his two guns — an AK-47 rifle and a semiautomatic pistol — because she thought he needed mental health treatment.

Ward told police he needed to protect himself from members of a crime family that was keeping him from his girlfriend, according to Huron police records obtained by the AP. He also said he was going to meet with the CIA.

Seven of the defendants in court in Michigan asked to be represented by public defenders. The eighth had a public defender appointed in Indiana.

Rather late in the game, but I thought that I should have this posted here, being involved, personally, with two of the towns mentioned where these people were living.

I live in Huron, OH, and in fact, live just over from the neighborhood where one of these homes were raided, which was also just down the street from where one of my best friends lives. Just as well, another was captured in my grandmother's trailer park in the "Sandusky", OH, that was mentioned. Huron and Sandusky are pretty much on top of each other, if you need a picture of where they are in proximity to each other.

It was two days ago when my family actually saw the FBI and the "bomb squad" rolling into my friend's neighborhood. We were really just thoughtless for the moment, wondering what the hell they were doing in our small town. Though it does seem to be the small ones, doesn't it? Then, today, before we even heard anything, my friend was on FaceBook, saying she just saw a bunch of men in black suits run into a house down the street...


And this is what it ends up culminating into: A bunch of mislead idiots, including someone my sister went to high school with, trying to cause immoral "justice" getting taken in by the FBI, and followed by them becoming hypocrites. At least I can say that my town is now on the map, I guess... -_-

 

[GrnMarvl14]

I've been saying it. These idiots are out there and they're plotting. It's, sadly, not that out of the ordinary. I'm just glad they stopped this one from happening.

 

[Izumoshep]

Those people need to be excommunicated and thrown into a prison for the rest of their lives.

 

[Satoshi-chan]

Wow, that is just sad. I bet it was kinda scary seeing all of this stuff happening first hand too Hikaru.

Wow, this sorta thing, whether it be from conservatives or liberals, is unwanted in the US. Murdering police officers who are just trying to do their jobs, or even plotting to murder police officers and their families is ridiculous. As I said in the thread about threats, this is the absolute worst way to go about making your voice heard. This will only make someone look like a raving lunatic, and nobody will care about what they have to say.

All I can say is: people like this honestly make the majority of conservatives who are completely sane look bad. It needs to stop.

 

[Every Breaking Wave]

Huh, kinda reminds me of the Toronto 18. Thank goodness they caught them before any of their intents were carried out; but where there is one plot, there are bound to be more.

 

[Steven]

Wow, that is just sad. I bet it was kinda scary seeing all of this stuff happening first hand too Hikaru.

Wow, this sorta thing, whether it be from conservatives or liberals, is unwanted in the US. Murdering police officers who are just trying to do their jobs, or even plotting to murder police officers and their families is ridiculous. As I said in the thread about threats, this is the absolute worst way to go about making your voice heard. This will only make someone look like a raving lunatic, and nobody will care about what they have to say.

All I can say is: people like this honestly make the majority of conservatives who are completely sane look bad. It needs to stop.

I didn't see too much, just hints of things, but yeah ;-) I was a bit spoofed today.

It's even more disgusting that they were going to attack their funerals, as well. I don't see why radicals have to be so radical... Like you say, it only makes people not want to believe them.

Yup. I whole-heartedly support this statement. There're great-minded conservatives out there who want nothing but peace and progress for this country (I included), and just end up getting pooled in with all of the stereotypical conservatives. It's pretty annoying.

 

[Lysandre]

Although I see where you're coming from, I highly doubt anybody is lumping every other Conservative in with this... anyone who is loony enough to try that doesn't deserve any political respect anyway.

Although I'm entirely disgusted by this I also find it incredibly psychologically interesting how a group of Christians could somehow interpret the Bible as a message to go out and kill police officers to stop the Anti Christ...? I question this group's true motives. It's just too out there and "religious" reasons are stated all the time for the actions on groups that have no real bearing on the actual subject matter. Last I checked, there wasn't even anything in Revalations that said Christians were supposed to kill the Anti Christ, that's kind of God's job, isn't it? Not to mention I don't believe destroying the government of America has anything to do with it and the world isn't even over yet. I mean seriously, do these folks REALLY think they can change the distant future by causing anarchy with a group of a couple of dozen southerners with guns today!? The whole thing is so bizarre... it's like the Klu Klux Klan, but instead of going after color they're going after title. I just really don't understand some people's brains.

 

[evkl]

They aren't really Christian in any sense of the word; they call themselves Christian, but they're more Christianish or something--following the Christianity they think is right. Beyond their self-identification, nothing they do is even remotely Christian.

 

[TTEchidna]

Lunatics, I swear.

There really needs to be more focused on by the right-wing media to tell people to vote, not shoot. They're scaring these people into this sort of crap, rather than telling them to act like civilized people and let themselves be heard at the ballot box.

 

[Big Lutz]

There really needs to be more focused on by the right-wing media to tell people to vote, not shoot. They're scaring these people into this sort of crap, rather than telling them to act like civilized people and let themselves be heard at the ballot box.

And of course you have proof that it was the "right wing media" that "scared" these people into doing this. Correct?

Anyway there is no excuse of wanting to kill cops, or attempting to kill cops. Lock them up in a small cell and force them to read outloud the religious book of every other religion.

 

[Izumoshep]

And of course you have proof that it was the "right wing media" that "scared" these people into doing this. Correct?

I think it was more of faulty reasoning on there part, than anything else. They claim they were preparing for the final battle, yet no human knows that date and I think they were merely a bunch of lunatics, using Christianity as a disguise for terrorism.

 

[Zeta]

They aren't really Christian in any sense of the word; they call themselves Christian, but they're more Christianish or something--following the Christianity they think is right. Beyond their self-identification, nothing they do is even remotely Christian.

Sounds like this argument:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NoTrueScotsman

 

[evkl]

Zeta, I don't quite think so.

If we accept some basic fundamental assertion of Jesus--and forgive me, I'm not especially familiar with the New Testament--but the whole "turn the other cheek" and "love a man as if he were your brother," that sort of thing, I think turning that into "let's kill everyone who disagrees with us to save us for the end times" is quite apart from the doctrine of that religion.

If someone identifies as a female (not a woman--just sticking to anatomy here) but you pull down the person's pants and see they have all the male parts down there, what he calls himself doesn't matter. He is not what he calls himself.

The question is, can we have at least a baseline set of fundamental assertions that makes someone Christian? I say that we can. I also say that some of what these people do breaks significantly from those fundamental assertions, therefore they're Christian-only-in-name.

 

[DragonMaster95]

Christions are crazy these days no?

 

[Satoshi-chan]

Christions are crazy these days no?

No, Christians are just as kind and devout as always. Fringe groups of people who feel that they can do terrible things as long as they do it in the name of their religion also have existed for a very long time, and these groups aren't unique to the Christian religion.

 

[KronosClownz]

These Christian's are contradicting, are they followers of God of Lucifer? Please tell me.

 

[Steven]

^Well, for a start, Lucifer isn't a god, he is an angel, though a fallen one.

 

[DragonMaster95]

No, Christians are just as kind and devout as always. Fringe groups of people who feel that they can do terrible things as long as they do it in the name of their religion also have existed for a very long time, and these groups aren't unique to the Christian religion.

religion still sucks monkey balls.

 

[Fig]

religion still sucks monkey balls.

You're free not to like it, but speaking as a moderator I would appreciate if you showed a little more respect to people for whom religion is important.

Many of whom are perfect decent if not excellent people.

 

[Dorothy]

religion still sucks monkey balls.

That is the most intolerant and closed-minded thing I have ever heard.