Fed raids Christian-militia group (Michigan)

[Borderwatch]

Federal agents conducted raids over the weekend in Lenawee and Washtenaw counties that news media reports linked to Hutaree, a Christian-militia group in the area.

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Agents also conducted raids in Indiana and Ohio and arrested at least three people. FBI spokesman Scott Wilson in Cleveland said agents arrested two people Saturday after raids in two Ohio towns. A third arrest made in northeast Illinois stemmed from a raid in northwest Indiana. The arrests are part of an ongoing investigation led by the FBI in Michigan, according to a statement from agents in Illinois.

The raids in Michigan took place Saturday and Sunday at undisclosed locations, said Detroit FBI Special Agent Sandra Berchtold.

“We can confirm that there were law enforcement activities in the Lenawee/Washtenaw County area,” Berchtold said.

But she added that “the federal warrants are sealed and we cannot comment at this time.”

An e-mail sent to the Hutaree was not immediately returned Sunday.

The group’s message boards contained messages from people talking about the raids, but none confirmed that the group had been raided.

The group’s Web site says that it is “preparing for the end time battles to keep the testimony of Jesus Christ alive.” The group’s logo is a cross with the initials CCR, which stand for Colonial Christian Republic. In one of its videos, a group of men in military gear take down a burning United Nations flag and replace it with their flag, which displays a cross.

On its Web site, the Michigan Militia denied involvement in the raids.

“Neither MICHIGANMILITIA.COM nor the SMVM (Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia) have been raided by the FBI. We do nothing illegal,” reads a statement on michiganmilitia.com.

Michael Lackomar, a spokesman for the Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia, said one of his team leaders got a frantic phone call Saturday evening from members of Hutaree, who said their property in southwest Michigan was being raided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

“They said they were under attack by the ATF and wanted a place to hide,” Lackomar said. “My team leader said, ‘No thanks.’”

The team leader was cooperating with the FBI on Sunday, Lackomar said. He said SMVM wasn’t affiliated with Hutaree.

Police swarmed a rural, wooded property around 7 p.m. Saturday outside Adrian, about 70 miles southwest of Detroit, said Evelyn Reitz, who lives about a half-mile away. She said several police cars, with lights flashing, were still there Sunday evening and 15 to 20 officers were stationed in the area.

Neighbor Jane Cattell said she came home from the movies Saturday night and a helicopter was circling above, its spotlight illuminating her house. She and her sister, Sarah Holtz, wouldn’t say who lived in the home but said they knew them from riding their horses past their house.

“They’re your average, nice neighbors,” Holtz said.

There were rumors about ties to a militia, but Holtz she knew nothing of that from her interaction with them.

One of the raids in Ohio occurred at Bayshore Estates, a trailer park in Sandusky, a small city on Lake Erie between Toledo and Cleveland, park manager Terry Mills said. Authorities blocked off the street for about an hour Saturday night, he said.

“Needless to say, this has everyone talking,” said Mills, 62. “We have a lot of retirees here who don’t want all this commotion.”

Mills said he didn’t know the identity of the person arrested.

Contact NIRAJ WARIKOO: 313-223-4792 or nwarikoo@freepress.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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