Leader of plot to kidnap Michigan governor sentenced to 16 years

The leader of a foiled plot to kidnap the Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, was sentenced on Tuesday to 16 years in prison.

The sentence handed down to Adam Fox stemmed from his conviction at a second federal trial in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in August, for conspiring to abduct the Democrat and blow up a bridge so the kidnappers could escape.

Barry Croft Jr, who co-led the plot, was also found guilty at that trial. He is due to be sentenced on Wednesday.

Fox and Croft were accused of spearheading a conspiracy to foment anti-government extremists shortly before the 2020 elections. Their arrests, and the apprehension of 12 others, spoke to extensive social and political strife in the US that characterized 2020, a year of pandemic and protest, often in the shape of violent extremism.

Whitmer was not harmed. Federal agents embedded with the extremists ended the conspiratorial activities by autumn.

The men were angered by public health policies Whitmer put in place to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Whitmer also butted heads with the then president Donald Trump over such restrictions.