COLUMBIA, S.C. _ One of the men alleged to be involved in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and overthrow the state government was arrested in Columbia this week and booked at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
Paul Edward Bellar, 21, was taken into custody by federal agents on Wednesday, according to online court records and a spokeswoman for the Richland County Sheriff's Department.
The department was not involved in Bellar's actual arrest, the spokeswoman told The State, but he is in Richland County's system. A hearing related to his extradition back to Michigan was set for Friday morning in Richland County court, records show.
Bellar faces anywhere from two to 42 years in prison if convicted on state charges of providing material support for terrorist acts, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and of being a gang member. He does not face federal conspiracy to kidnap charges, unlike six of the 12 men arrested in the case, which authorities have described as a domestic terrorism plot.
The FBI says members of a Michigan-based militia plotted to abduct Whitmer before the November election and transport her to a secure location for a "trial" on treason charges.
Bellar and six other people associated with the militia group "Wolverine Watchmen" face state charges in Michigan, according to CNN.
Bellar was kicked out of a Milford, Michigan, mobile home park earlier this year for failure to pay rent, according to FOX 2 TV in Detroit, at which point he relocated to the Columbia area. Michigan neighbors suspect he was angry over the governor's shutdown orders because he was unable to work.
Arrest documents call Bellar a "sergeant" in the militia, where he used tactical skills he learned during his time in the military to train fellow militia members.
Bellar "provided plans for tactical maneuvers at trainings, coded language for covert communication, hosted meetings at his residence, provided ammunition, and coordinated logistics for trainings," according to WYFF TV.
The kidnapping plot was part of a larger plan to overthrow the state government and take hostages inside the Michigan state capitol building, according to law enforcement. Investigators say the men may be part of the Boogaloo movement, a loosely organized anti-government movement that sees itself as preparing for a second American civil war.
Federal agents were able to thwart the plot based on informants inside the militia movement. The conspirators are said to have staked out the governor's vacation home as they sought an opportunity to attack.
