Gretchen Whitmer Kidnap Plot Now Includes WMD Charges

Three of the more than a dozen people charged in a kidnapping plot involving Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer now face new weapons of mass destruction charges. Adam Fox, 40, Barry Croft, 45, and Daniel Joseph Harris, 23, were on Wednesday hit with charges they knowingly conspired to use WMDs, CNN reports. They already faced federal kidnapping conspiracy charges. The US Attorney's Office that filed the charges accuses the three of aiming to use the devices for "harming and hindering the governor's security detail and any responding law enforcement officers" amid the plot to kidnap Whitmer.

Fox is accused of ordering $4,000 worth of explosives, while Croft and Harris, who also face charges of possessing an unregistered destructive device, are accused of detonating an IED containing shrapnel "to assess its effectiveness as an anti-personnel weapon" near human silhouette targets. A fourth man allegedly suggested using bombs to demolish a bridge near Whitmer's vacation home, and Fox and Croft allegedly checked out potential spots to mount explosives, the Detroit News reports. The new charges could mean the three suspects could face up to life behind bars if convicted. (More Gretchen Whitmer stories.)