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Is There A Difference Between Militias And Domestic Terrorists?

WAMU 88.5 | By Kathryn Fink
Published October 14, 2020 at 5:09 PM EDT
Oathkeeper militia members are confronted by demonstrators protesting the lack of criminal charges in the police killing of Breonna Taylor, in downtown Louisville, Kentucky.
Oathkeeper militia members are confronted by demonstrators protesting the lack of criminal charges in the police killing of Breonna Taylor, in downtown Louisville, Kentucky.

We’re finding out more about the plot by a Michigan militia to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

The group charged in the plot also considered targeting Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, according to the F.B.I. Governors Northam and Whitmer, both Democrats, were targeted allegedly because of their aggressive lockdown measures regarding the spread of COVID-19, the F.B.I said.

But the threat posed by these groups isn’t just limited to these plots.

From The Guardian:

Where do we draw the line between calling these groups militias and domestic terrorists? And who are the people that join them?

 

Copyright 2020 WAMU 88.5
Kathryn Fink
Kathryn Fink is a producer with NPR's All Things Considered.