LANSING, Mich. — Testimony from a confidential informant who helped the FBI identify people charged with facilitating terrorism right from their homes in Jackson count, providing new information on the case.
The informant, going only by the name “Dan” and not showing his face—for their safety—testified he’s feared for himself and his daughter throughout this entire experience. This all started with the Facebook algorithm recommended the militia group “wolverine watchmen” to the informant, who joined willingly, because he was interested in their training. But after being moved to an encrypted chat, he knew something wasn’t right.
The “Dan” didn’t set out to be an informant at all.
But after Pete Musico told the informant in a chat he had gone to a law enforcement officer’s home, threw a Molotov cocktail at it, and was attempting to map out locations of other law enforcement officers homes to hurt them, “Dan” went to a friend in local law enforcement who then took things to the FBI.
In court on Friday we heard the army veteran who, after being honorably discharged for injuries received in combat in Iraq, felt a sense of obligation to what would become months of investigating the group “Wolverine Watchmen” and others (described as a far right, anti-government, anti-law enforcement militia) with these three men, charged with providing material support for terrorism for their involvement in facilitating Adam Fox’s plan to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who they met at protests throughout the summer at the State Capitol and invited to their militia training as what the informant referred to as a “VIP guest”
Protests throughout the summer in opposition to Whitmer’s lock-downs were used to recruit new members, the informant testified.
“Dan”, says that at Operation Gridlock Pete Musico, claimed to have a bomb in his car and throughout their protests the group maintained strategic positions while at the state capitol.
“Putting themselves in tactical positions to enter the capitol, Paul wanted to bum rush the capitol.” “Dan testified.
The informant says Paul Bellar attended the meeting at The Vac Shack with Adam Fox and they even took an oath with Fox promising to follow through with their plans.
“We made decisions as a group, that we would be the shadow group,” said “Dan”. “It started with kidnapping law enforcement, and then it switched to politicians,”
At this point in the investigation, Musico and Joe Morrison, the face of Wolverine Watchmen, had taken a back seat feeling they had been too visible at protests throughout the summer.
Whether the three men in court today will be bound over for trial has not yet been ruled by the judge. If convicted, Musico, Morrison, and Bellar will all face at least 20 years in prison
