Three far-right activists accused in the United States of planning to kidnap the Democratic governor of Michigan were on Wednesday convicted of “domestic terrorism,” AFP reports.

Two other far-right activists were convicted two months ago of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over the anti-Covid restrictions she imposed in the upstate.

Joseph Morrison, Paul Bellar and Pete Musico – all Michigan natives described as members of the far-right Wolverine Watchmen militia – face up to 20 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. . Sentencing is scheduled for December 15, 2022.

“Three defendants were found guilty today of terroristic financial support, gang membership and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony in furtherance of a conspiracy to kidnap and kill me,” Democrat Gretchen Whitmer said on Twitter shortly after the general’s ruling. prosecutor.

The plot to kidnap the governor, which Dana Nessel’s office said also involved starting a civil war in the United States, caused a national outcry when it was revealed weeks before the 2020 presidential election.

“Terror attacks and shootings are not spontaneous acts, but are the result of planning, conspiracy and the accumulation of resources for violent action,” Dana Nessel commented.

In 2020, the arrest of these activists illustrated the growing threat from radical right-wing armed groups, which was then confirmed during the storming of the Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021, in which members of groups such as Oath Keepers or Proud Boys participated