Hutaree

The Conspiracy Videos In The Hutaree's Library

Ryan J. Reilly | February 10, 2012, 6:03AM

Nearly two years after a group of Christian anti-government Hutaree militia members were arrested in Michigan for allegedly plotting an attack on police, new details are emerging in the run-up to their trial.

Defense lawyers revealed that the government's confidential informant in the case was arrested after shooting a gun off seven feet from his wife, stabbed himself with a hunting knife while out on probation and had his wife falsely imprisoned over the indecent.

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Hutaree

Judge: Bailed Hutaree Defendants Can Stay In Jail If They Can't Afford Trial Lodging

Jillian Rayfield | January 30, 2012, 12:08PM

Three defendants in the Hutaree militia case will not be staying in a taxpayer funded hotel for the duration of their trial, a federal judge has decided, but can instead take lodging in the local prison if they're too hard up to afford other accommodations.

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Hutaree

Hutaree Militia Member Pleads Guilty To Weapons Charge

Jillian Rayfield | December 6, 2011, 12:25PM

Joshua Clough, also known as "Azzurlin," "Az" and "Mouse," pleaded guilty to a weapons charge Monday, in the first plea deal in the case of Michigan's Hutaree Militia.

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Joshua Clough

First Defendant To Plead Guilty In Hutaree Militia Plot

Ryan J. Reilly | November 2, 2011, 3:55PM

Joshua Clough, one of nine members of the Hutaree militia in Michigan arrested by federal authorities in the spring of 2010, will be the first militia member to plead guilty.

Clough -- also known as "Mouse" -- has a plea hearing scheduled for Nov. 8, according to a court notification first reported by the Detroit Free Press. The details of his guilty plea weren't clear and his lawyer did not immediately respond to TPM's request for comment.

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Hutaree

FBI Expanding Interaction With Local Agencies To Combat Militia Extremists

Ryan J. Reilly | September 22, 2011, 2:35PM

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has expanded their interaction with other federal and state agencies to combat militia extremists, the bureau said in a blog post this week.

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Hutaree

Hutaree Members Don't Want Government's Ankle Bracelets

Ryan J. Reilly | June 24, 2011, 11:47AM

A photo from the Facebook page of Tina Kelley

Two members of the Hutaree militia have a hearing today to request modifications to their bond agreements with the federal government. Both David Stone Jr. and Jacob Ward want their electronic ankle bracelets removed, and now that Stone is 21-years-old, he wants to be allowed to drink too.

Federal officials said in a filing that they're cool with lifting the ban on consumption of alcohol and a stop to drug testing, but they wouldn't budge on the ankle bracelets.

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Hutaree

Hutaree Leader's Best Man Was Undercover FBI Agent

Ryan J. Reilly | January 18, 2011, 2:01PM

A photo from the Facebook page of Tina Kelley

An FBI agent who infiltrated the Hutaree militia -- the Michigan Christian group charged for allegedly arranging a plot to kill police -- got so close to the leader of the pack that he was named the best man in his wedding.

Now there is a question about whether the marriage certificate, signed by the FBI agent under a false name, is legitimate, AnnArbor.com reported.

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FBI

In $1.2 Million Fraud Plot, Four Women Invented A Man Then Killed Him Off

Ryan J. Reilly | September 3, 2010, 6:17PM

Just how low did four California women go to make a quick buck ripping off insurance companies? Six feet under.

Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters today highlighted a recent conviction in a scheme by four individuals in the Los Angeles area to invent a man out of whole cloth, hold his funeral, and then reap in the insurance benefits from his death.

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Hutaree

Appeals Court: Hutaree Must Stay Behind Bars

Justin Elliott | June 23, 2010, 2:54PM

Members of the Hutaree militia: Joshua Stone, Tina Stone, David Stone, Jr. (left-right, top row); Michael Meeks, David Stone, Sr., Joshua Clough (second row); Kristopher Sickles, Jacob Ward, Thomas Piatek (bottom row).

Overturning the ruling of a lower court, a federal appeals court Tuesday ruled that five members of the Hutaree militia, who are accused of plotting to kill police, are a potential danger to the community and cannot be released on bail pending trial.

In May, a U.S District Court judge in Michigan ruled that the Hutaree members were not a flight risk and did not present a threat to the community.

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Hutaree

New Weapons Charges Filed Against Hutaree

Ben Frumin | June 3, 2010, 10:55AM

Members of the Hutaree militia: Joshua Stone, Tina Stone, David Stone, Jr. (left-right, top row); Michael Meeks, David Stone, Sr., Joshua Clough (second row); Kristopher Sickles, Jacob Ward, Thomas Piatek (bottom row).

Federal prosecutors have added several more weapons charges in their case against members of the Hutaree militia.

Nine members of the Christian militia group were indicted in March on multiple charges involving an alleged plot to attack police, including seditious conspiracy and attempted use of weapons of mass destruction. All nine pleaded not guilty to the original charges.

According to the new indictment, released Wednesday, federal agents found machine guns, unregistered short-barreled rifles, other firearms, and more than 148,000 rounds of ammunition at the Michigan home of Hutaree leader David Brian Stone, which was used as a base for meetings and training. Federal agents also found "a variety of explosives and related items capable of being readily assembled to build several types of destructive devices including IEDs."

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Hutaree

Judge Rules Charged Hutaree Members Can Be Released Until Trial

Ben Frumin | May 3, 2010, 12:05PM

Members of the Hutaree militia: Joshua Stone, Tina Stone, David Stone, Jr. (left-right, top row); Michael Meeks, David Stone, Sr., Joshua Clough (second row); Kristopher Sickles, Jacob Ward, Thomas Piatek (bottom row).

Nine members of the Hutaree militia group accused of plotting against the government can be released until their trial.

The nine members of the Christian militia group were indicted in March on multiple charges involving an alleged plot to attack police, including seditious conspiracy and attempted use of weapons of mass destruction.

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Hutaree

Hutaree Leader On Police: We Can 'Burn Their House Down'

Justin Elliott | April 30, 2010, 10:19AM

Members of the Hutaree militia: Joshua Stone, Tina Stone, David Stone, Jr. (left-right, top row); Michael Meeks, David Stone, Sr., Joshua Clough (second row); Kristopher Sickles, Jacob Ward, Thomas Piatek (bottom row).

Prosecutors seeking to keep the Hutaree locked up without bail Thursday released secretly recorded tapes of the militia members discussing attacks on police, the Detroit News reports.

Hutaree leader David Stone is heard on the tapes, recorded by an undercover FBI agent in February, talking about local police as an appealing target.

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Hutaree

Judge Questions Holding All Nine Defendants In Hutaree Trial

Eric Lach | April 29, 2010, 11:09AM

Members of the Hutaree militia: Joshua Stone, Tina Stone, David Stone, Jr. (left-right, top row); Michael Meeks, David Stone, Sr., Joshua Clough (second row); Kristopher Sickles, Jacob Ward, Thomas Piatek (bottom row).

At a bond appeal hearing for members of the Hutaree militia on Wednesday, a federal judge questioned prosecutors about the evidence being used to justify holding all nine defendants until trial, according to a report in The Detroit News.

U.S. District Judge Victoria A. Roberts said that the seditious conspiracy charge requires proof of "imminent lawless action ... against the United States."

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Hutaree

Prosecutors: Hutaree Discussed 'Torching The Homes Of Police Officers'

Justin Elliott | April 19, 2010, 9:09AM

David Stone, Sr.

In a new court filing, prosecutors allege that Hutaree leader David Stone and other members of the Christian militia held a February live fire training session in which they discussed "ambushing police officers, killing police officers during traffic stops, torching the homes of police officers and then shooting them and their families as they fled their burning homes."

Nine alleged Hutaree members are charged on various counts in an alleged plot to kill police. The new filing argues against bail for Stone.

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Hutaree

Undercover FBI Agent Posed As Hutaree's Bombmaker

Justin Elliott | April 13, 2010, 12:08PM

Members of the Hutaree militia: Joshua Stone, Tina Stone, David Stone, Jr. (left-right, top row); Michael Meeks, David Stone, Sr., Joshua Clough (second row); Kristopher Sickles, Jacob Ward, Thomas Piatek (bottom row).

The FBI decided to infiltrate the Hutaree Christian militia after becoming alarmed by the group allegedly detonating bombs in the woods in rural Michigan, NPR reports in a long investigation of the group.

We already knew that the FBI had an undercover agent in the group, one who even recorded its alleged leader preaching against the New World Order.

Nine members of the militia are charged in an alleged plot to kill police. One of the specific counts is attempted use of weapons of mass destruction for an alleged plan to use IEDs during a police funeral.

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Hutaree

Feds: Guns, Crack, Steroids, Hitler Book Found At Hutaree Homes

Justin Elliott | April 12, 2010, 3:05PM

Kristopher Sickles

Prosecutors allege that a dizzying array of drugs, weapons and even a collection of speeches by Adolf Hitler were found at the homes of several of the alleged members of the Hutaree Christian militia.

The AP got a look at the search warrant records in the case, in which prosecutors allege that nine Hutaree members were plotting to kill police. At the trailer of Hutaree leader David Stone, three DVDs labeled "Waco," a grenade holder, over 35 guns, and materials for a "funnel shape charge" were allegedly found.

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Hutaree

Hutaree Member To Stepmom: I Don't Need A Job -- I Already Have One Prepping For 'The War'

Justin Elliott | April 12, 2010, 9:23AM

Tina Stone and Joshua Stone

Still more details are emerging in court filings about the Hutaree Christian militia, and unlike last week's revelation that police were in a dramatic armed standoff with member Josh Stone, 21, the latest filing offers almost sitcom-like details of the inner workings of the group.

In a filing arguing against bond for Tina Stone, the woman who married alleged Hutaree leader David Stone late last year in a heavily-armed ceremony, prosecutors allege that Tina Stone and Josh Stone -- David's son from a previous relationship -- once got into an argument after Tina submitted a job application on his behalf.

The argument arose, naturally, during an alleged discussion "about building destructive devices for the Hutaree." The filing alleges:

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Hutaree

Prosecutors: Hutaree Member Engaged In Dramatic Armed Standoff With Police

Justin Elliott | April 9, 2010, 6:14PM

Joshua Stone

One of the nine members of the Hutaree Christian militia prepared for a violent showdown with police -- to the point that he "secreted weapons" around the rural Michigan home where he was holed up late last month -- before finally surrendering after a daylong standoff, prosecutors allege in a new court filing.

The new allegations regarding Joshua Stone -- the 21-year-old son of alleged Hutaree leader David Stone -- come in a filing by the government arguing against bail for Stone. The government's account reveals that heavily armed police surrounded a property in rural Hillsdale County for an entire day before Stone and other unidentified associates -- all allegedly armed -- finally surrendered.

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Hutaree

In Secret Tape Alleged Hutaree Leader Preached Against New World Order (AUDIO)

Justin Elliott | April 8, 2010, 12:10PM

David Stone, Sr.

In an audio tape recorded by an undercover FBI agent while members of the Hutaree Christian militia were allegedly in a van en route to a militia "summit" in Kentucky, alleged Hutaree leader David Stone denounces Interpol and other "law enforcement mercenaries called the brotherhood working for the New World Order."

CNN got its hands on the audio, which was played during the bond hearing for Stone, who is being held in an alleged plot to kill police.

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Hutaree

Report: Hutaree Created Map Of Country With Locations Named After Themselves

Justin Elliott | April 7, 2010, 9:09AM

Members of the Hutaree militia: Joshua Stone, Tina Stone, David Stone, Jr. (left-right, top row); Michael Meeks, David Stone, Sr., Joshua Clough (second row); Kristopher Sickles, Jacob Ward, Thomas Piatek (bottom row).

The ex-fiance of the leader of the Hutaree Christian militia tells the AP that the group harbored delusions of grandeur to the point that they created "a big map on a room in their house of their own country and their own names of their countries and cities and stuff."

Andrea Harsh, who was engaged to alleged Hutaree leader David Stone, described the map as "very extensive."

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Hutaree

Report: Hutaree Member Wanted Guns To Protect Self From 'Crime Family'

Justin Elliott | April 5, 2010, 1:16PM

Jacob Ward

Jacob Ward, one of the nine alleged Hutaree militia members charged in an alleged plot to kill police, reportedly became irate at Ohio police last year after they refused to press charges against his mother, who had confiscated Ward's AK-47 and pistol.

The Detroit Free Press reports on the unusual reason Ward, of Huron, Ohio, said he needed the guns:

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Kristopher Sickles

Charged Hutaree Member: I'm No Extremist

Justin Elliott | April 2, 2010, 9:41AM

Kristopher Sickles

Kristopher Sickles, one of the alleged Hutaree militiamen accused in a plot to kill police and the creator of a series of colorful YouTube videos, insists in a statement released by his brother that he is "not an extremist, racist or a cop killer."

"My intentions were good and I am simply guilty by association and personally had no intentions of harming any person, member of law enforcement or the United States government," said Sickles, of Sandusky, Ohio, according to the Dayton Daily News."I would never blindly follow or assist a group who obviously had a different agenda than my own," he said.

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Right-wing extremism

Going To Extremes: The Obama Era's Top Ten Anti-Government Flare-Ups

Zachary Roth | April 1, 2010, 6:35PM

Clockwise from top left: David Stone, Sr., John Patrick Bedell, Joseph Stack and James von Brunn

The charges filed this week against nine members of the Hutaree Christian militia group have re-focused attention on the resurgence over the last year or so of the broader militia movement.

That resurgence has been driven in part, say experts, by the election of President Obama. But during the Obama era, threats of anti-government violence -- and even the real thing -- have become more widespread. In fact, with disaffected Americans from Massachusetts to California freaking out against the Feds en masse, it sometimes seems that going postal has become all the rage. Of course, in some cases, that anti-government animus long predates the election of our current president. But there seems to be something about the current climate that's contributing to the rash of incidents.

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Kristopher Sickles

'Scar My Tattered Body No More With Your Punishing Dildo Mallet': Accused Militia Plotter Bared Almost All In Film (VIDEO)

Zachary Roth | April 1, 2010, 10:39AM

Kristopher Sickles

In the last few days we've told you about Kris Sickles, aka "Pale Horse," who in the past has posted videos urging people to arm themselves and march on Washington, and this week was charged -- along with eight other members of the Hutaree, a Christian militia group -- with seditious conspiracy in connection with an alleged plot to kill law enforcement.

But Sickles, who in those videos identified himself as a member of the Ohio Militia, may also have a lighter side. The accused plotter looks to have starred in a deeply Not Safe For Work movie, filled with cursing, mock violence, pot jokes, and sound effects conveying flatulence. Sickles appears entirely naked but for a mask of President George W. Bush that obscures some, but not all, of his genitalia.

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Hutaree

Prosecutors: 46 Guns Found In Home Of Alleged Hutaree Member

Justin Elliott | April 1, 2010, 9:18AM

Members of the Hutaree militia: Joshua Stone, Tina Stone, David Stone, Jr. (left-right, top row); Michael Meeks, David Stone, Sr., Joshua Clough (second row); Kristopher Sickles, Jacob Ward, Thomas Piatek (bottom row).

FBI agents found 46 guns and 13,000 rounds of ammunition in the Indiana home of one of the nine alleged members of the Hutaree Christian militia, prosecutors said at a hearing Wednesday.

That man, Thomas Piatek, was ordered held without bond and will face charges with the other charged Hutaree members in Detroit.

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Hutaree

Hutaree Member Angered By Fake Hamas Resettlement Bill

Justin Elliott | March 31, 2010, 4:04PM

Tina Stone

The Detroit Free Press notices that charged Hutaree militia member Tina Stone bemoaned the passage of H.R. 1388 on her Facebook page recently. That bill has been the subject of a false chain email that warns President Obama provided money to settle Hamas members in the United States.

(Stone made the statements on the same page that features the militia wedding photos we told you about yesterday.)

"H.B. 1388 Passed.... It's bad news for us all," she wrote.

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Militias

FBI Deems Risk Of Militia Violence 'Low'

Justin Elliott | March 31, 2010, 2:34PM

Police in Wheatland Township, Michigan, during the Hutaree raid

In a bulletin distributed to police departments and obtained by the AP, the FBI concludes that in the wake of the arrests of members of the Hutaree militia "the likelihood of violent conflict from the remaining group members or other militia extremists" is "low."

The FBI has seen an increase in "chatter" from militias and other extremist groups. But the fact that the arrests of the nine Hutaree members -- charged in an alleged plot to kill police -- went smoothly eased authorities' concerns of any blowback, according to the AP.

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Hutaree

Prosecutor: Some Militias Are Fine, But Hutaree 'Crossed The Line'

Justin Elliott | March 31, 2010, 9:56AM

Members of the Michigan militia Hutaree (clockwise from top-left): David Stone, Sr., Tina Stone, David Stone, Jr., Jacob Ward, Joshua Clough, Michael Meeks, Kristopher Sickles and Thomas Piatek

The federal prosecutor who brought charges against members of the Hutaree Christian militia tells CNN that authorities are fine with "peaceful" militias in Michigan, but Hutaree "really crossed the line."

"They advocated that government was their enemy and that federal, state and local police officers were their foot soldiers and they refer to them as 'The Brotherhood,'" said Barbara McQuade, U.S. attorney for the eastern district of Michigan, in an interview with CNN.

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Hutaree

Undercover FBI Agent Helped In Sting Of Hutaree Militia

Justin Elliott | March 30, 2010, 6:20PM

Thomas Piatek

A nice catch from the Wall Street Journal: A court document in the Hutaree case appears to have inadvertently revealed that an undercover FBI agent was involved in bringing down the Christian militia group.

The indictments of the nine Hutaree members -- charged in an alleged plot to kill police -- show up in a court record database on March 23. But the indictments were still sealed at the time. The Feds didn't make arrests until this past weekend.

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Hutaree

For Hutaree, Militia Ethos Extended To Family Life

Justin Elliott | March 30, 2010, 12:50PM

A photo from the Facebook page of Tina Kelley

For the leading family of Hutaree, the armed Christian group in Michigan accused of plotting to kill police, membership in the militia went beyond paramilitary training sessions and into something resembling a full-blown lifestyle choice.

In recent wedding pictures posted on Facebook, several Hutaree members who are now in custody are shown posing in front of the militia flag with assault rifles.

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Hutaree

Expert: Hutaree Were 'Right Smack In The Middle Of The Militia Movement'

Zachary Roth | March 30, 2010, 11:05AM

Members of the Michigan militia Hutaree (clockwise from top-left): David Stone, Sr., Tina Stone, David Stone, Jr., Jacob Ward, Joshua Clough, Michael Meeks, Kristopher Sickles and Thomas Piatek

Conventional militia organizations are racing to distance themselves from the Hutaree -- the Christian-based militia whose members were charged yesterday with conspiring to kill law enforcement as part of their preparation for the coming battle with the Anti-Christ. But that may be a tall order.

Appearing on CNN this morning, Michael Lackomar, a member of the Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia, called the Hutaree -- also primarily based in Michigan -- "really a fringe group outside of anything we do."

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Militias

Ninth Charged Militia Member Surrenders

Justin Elliott | March 30, 2010, 8:43AM

Joshua Stone

Joshua Stone, the son of the leader of the Christian militia Hutaree who was the ninth person charged in an alleged plot to kill police, has surrendered and will appear in court today, the AP reports.

Stone was previously described as a fugitive.

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Hutaree

Accused Christian Militia Member Posted Video Last Year: 'I'm Just A Simple Militant ... What's Wrong With That?'

Zachary Roth | March 29, 2010, 2:37PM

"Pale Horse" (left), seen in an Ohio Militia video

We already told you that one of the members of a Christian militia group charged today with "seditious conspiracy" in connection to an alleged plot to kill law enforcement appears to be the extremist who over the last 18 months created widely-viewed videos that warn "our country is in peril" and urge people to take up arms and march on Washington. And it now appears that that same militia member -- Kristopher Sickles, who goes by the name of "Pale Horse" -- posted a third video in which he lambasted the "corporate media" for its coverage of the militia movement.

The video, posted last August to YouTube and still available, sheds further light on the mindset and philosophy of at least one of the nine Hutaree members accused today of conspiring to kill police officers, then bomb their funeral in a bid to kill more law enforcement personnel, as part of a plot to "oppose by force the authority of the U.S. government."

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Hutaree

Christian Militia Group Burns U.N. Flag In YouTube Clip (VIDEO)

Derek Hawkins | March 29, 2010, 1:34PM

A U.N. flag burning in a video on the Hutaree YouTube account

The Michigan militia Hutaree, whose members have been charged for an alleged plot to attack police, burns a U.N. flag in a video posted on the group's YouTube page.

The clip dated June 30, 2009, and described as "UN in America," shows flames engulfing a U.N. flag in slow motion, over the sound of "First and Last and Always," by the 80s goth-rock band Sisters of Mercy.

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Hutaree

'Our Country Is In Peril': Accused Hutaree Member Appears To Have Posted Videos Calling For Armed Marches On Washington

Zachary Roth | March 29, 2010, 11:31AM

A scene from a video on the Hutaree Youtube account

In October 2008 -- in the midst of the financial crisis, and as it appeared increasingly likely that Barack Obama would be elected president -- a man with a balaclava over his face, dressed in combat fatigues and holding an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, posted a video on YouTube. Using the alias Pale Horse and describing himself as a member of the Ohio Militia, the man warned: "Things are bad. Things are real bad, and it's going to be a lot worse--our country is in peril," before encouraging viewers to arm themselves. The video, billed as a "wake-up call" for America, was viewed more than 70,000 times before being removed last spring.

Today, Kristopher Sickles -- aka "Pale Horse" -- was one of the nine people charged with seditious conspiracy in connection with an alleged plot to kill law enforcement officers, and to "oppose by force the authority of the U.S. government," as part of a Christian militia group known as the Hutaree, based primarily in Michigan.

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Hutaree

Nine Christian Militia Members Charged With Seditious Conspiracy, Attempted Use Of WMD

Justin Elliott | March 29, 2010, 10:04AM

Members of the Michigan militia Hutaree (clockwise from top-left): David Stone, Sr., Tina Stone, David Stone, Jr., Jacob Ward, Joshua Clough, Michael Meeks, Kristopher Sickles and Thomas Piatek

Nine members of the Christian militia group Hutaree have been indicted on multiple charges involving an alleged plot to attack police, including seditious conspiracy and attempted use of weapons of mass destruction, the U.S. Attorney in Michigan announced this morning.

"Six Michigan residents, along with two residents of Ohio and a resident of Indiana, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Detroit on charges of seditious conspiracy, attempted use of weapons of mass destruction, teaching the use of explosive materials, and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence," according to the government's press release, which you can read in full below.

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Hutaree

Michigan Christian Militia Raided By Feds Was Preparing To Battle Antichrist (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | March 29, 2010, 9:10AM

A scene from a video on the Hutaree Youtube account

Hutaree, the Christian militia in southeast Michigan reportedly raided by the FBI Sunday, was preparing to battle the Antichrist because "Jesus wanted us to be ready to defend ourselves using the sword and stay alive using equipment," according to its Web site.

A Joint Terrorism Task Force, led by the FBI, arrested at least seven people in three states as part of the raids on the Adrian, Michigan-based group, the Detroit News reported.

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