Leader of Michigan Militia Group Says Christian Extremists Begged for Help After FBI Raid
Investigators are expected to release more information today in the raid on a Christian militia group, with one person involved in the militia movement suggesting the shadowy group had made threats against Muslims.
"Obviously someone has a source or a wiretap or intel is coming to them in some form or fashion to trigger, 'Alright we are not going to let these guys take one step further in this operation. We are going to take them down,'" ABC News consultant and former FBI agent Brad Garrett said.
Federal officials have remained tightlipped about the three-state raid Sunday that nabbed eight people and arrest records have been sealed. Michael Lackomar, the leader of Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia, a separate Michigan-based militia group, told ABC News he heard that threats toward Islamic groups made by extremist group the Hutaree may have fueled the arrests.
The suspects are due in court today.
A person claiming to be a member of the Hutaree posted a message online pleading for help and claiming that officials "broke into homes and took children and used the tasers on wives ... AND my son who is 12."
The raids were conducted Sunday in Michigan, Ohio and Illinois, federal officials confirmed to the Associated Press, though they did not mention the Hutaree specifically.
Lackomar, said several members of the Hutaree, which have trained with the SMVM on occasion, showed up on the doorstep of one of his colleagues shortly after the raid.
"They were asking for a place to hide as it were and he wasn't willing to assist them in that manner," Lackomar said.
On their Web site, the Hutaree -- which they say means "Christian warriors" -- say they are prepared to defend all those who belong to Christ and save those who aren't." A video shows members patrolling the woods with camouflage and weapons preparing for the arrival of the anti-Christ."
"The Hutaree will one day see its enemy and meet him on the battlefield if so God wills it," the Web site claims.
Militia Leader: Hutaree Like a Cult
Despite the connection between the groups, Lackomar said the Hutaree are not truly part fo the militia movement, but more like a cult.
"They believe that this is the end of the world as prophesized by the Bible and it is their duty to take up arms to fight alongside Jesus against the impending forces of Satan," he said.
"We are community-based," Lackomar said of the SMVM. "We are willing to accept anybody that lives among us that wants to protect themselves, their neighborhood, wants to help out in times of emergency."
Going after a group like the Hutaree can be dangerous, Garrett said.
"This crowd tends to be heavily armed and they are all conspiracy theorists that the government is trying to take over," he said. "And so you have to be very careful and cautious when starting arresting people like this because you can walk right into an ambush."
Lackomar said members of the Hutaree dressed identically, carried the same equipment and weapons and called themselves by biblical-sounding names.
