U.S. militia charged with conspiracy

Washington DC: Nine members of a presumed Christian militia group called Hutaree (which the group says means “Christian warrior”) based in Michigan were indicted by a federal grand jury in Detroit on charges of seditious conspiracy, said the FBI on Tuesday.

The group was further charged with attempted use of weapons of mass destruction, teaching the use of explosive materials, and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. According to reports eight members of the group, including one woman, were arrested over the weekend.

The FBI statement said the Hutaree planned to kill an unidentified member of local law enforcement and then attack the law enforcement officers who would have gathered for the funeral. The agency said the Hutaree would attack law enforcement vehicles during the funeral procession with IEDs.

The FBI said the group's basic aim was to oppose by force the authority of the American government; the Hutaree members view local, state, and federal law enforcement as the “brotherhood,” their enemy,.

It was further alleged that David Brian Stone, Hutaree's leader, obtained information about explosive devices over the Internet and E-mailed diagrams of such devices to a person he believed capable of manufacturing the devices. The FBI said Stone then had his son, Joshua Matthew Stone, and others gather materials to manufacturing of such devices.