DETROIT _ A 51-year-old Wisconsin man has been charged with material support of an act of terrorism for his alleged role in plants to storm the state Capitol and harm government officials, including kidnapping Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Brian Higgins of Wisconsin Dells was arrested in Wisconsin on Thursday and will be extradited to Antrim County, where three of the other 13 suspects in the alleged kidnapping plot have been arraigned, according to Attorney General Dana Nessel's Office.
Higgins participated in surveillance of Whitmer's vacation home, according to a Michigan State Police affidavit. He also provided night-vision goggles and used a dash camera in his vehicle to record footage of the surveillance.
Higgins faces up to 20 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine.
Nessel's office confirmed earlier Thursday that an additional person had been charged in relation to the alleged plot. Higgins is the eighth person charged by the state attorney general. Six others were charged by U.S. attorneys on federal counts.
Last week, Nessel said she expected arrests would be made in her office's investigation into fringe groups threatening domestic terrorism. But she said it was unlikely those individuals would be linked to the individuals already charged by her office.
"I don't know that they will be associated necessarily with this particular group," Nessel told "CBS This Morning." "But certainly, do I expect further charges related to this series of groups that seem to be operating together not just in the state of Michigan but across several states in many jurisdictions? Yes, I do."
State and federal prosecutors announced charges a week ago against 13 individuals who they say were training and planning to kidnap Whitmer and storm the state Capitol.
Six have been charged federally along with seven others charged by the state who are believed to be members and associates of a Michigan militia known as the Wolverine Watchmen.
The seven have been charged under the state's anti-terrorism law, a 20-year felony, while the other six face charges of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which is punishable by up to life in prison.
Federal documents filed in court last week allege the conspirators twice conducted surveillance at Whitmer's personal vacation home in northern Michigan and discussed kidnapping her to a "secure location" in Wisconsin to stand "trial" for treason prior to the Nov. 3 election.
An FBI agent testified during a bond hearing Tuesday that some of the men also had plans of "taking out" Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.
