The FBI duped the members of the Christian militia in Michigan into going to what they thought was a memorial service at a warehouse in Ann Arbor over the weekend, the head of the Detroit FBI told the Associated Press.
Andy Arena, special agent in charge of the Detroit FBI, said the ruse allowed agents to safely draw the Hutaree militia “away from their weapons” so they could be safely arrested, the AP reported.
Nine members have been charged with with seditious conspiracy and plotting to kill law enforcement officers.
After two days of hearings, U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Scheer in Detroit is expected to rule on whether eight of the members should be detained pending trial. A judge in Indiana already ruled that the ninth defendant won’t be released.
