DETROIT — The stunning acquittal of seven Michigan militia members charged with conspiring to go to war against the government could make federal agents reluctant to pursue certain investigations at a time when the number of so-called patriot groups is increasing nationwide, experts said Wednesday.
The FBI ran an 18-month probe of the Hutaree militia, placed an informant and undercover agent inside the group and emerged with major charges of conspiring to rebel against the government and use weapons of mass destruction.
After six weeks of trial, however, a judge this week said the case didn’t even deserve to go to the jury and declared all seven not guilty.
“It’s an embarrassment to the government to lose this case,” said Mark Potok, who tracks extremist groups at the Southern Poverty Law Center, a noted civil rights organization in Montgomery, Ala. “I very much worry this could discourage officials from moving forward on the most open-and-shut cases in the future. I’m not trying to criticize the judge at all, but it might have ramifications.” more from WP source
thank you Stacie
No comments:
Post a Comment