militias

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits National Guard troops deployed at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 29. The troops were deployed in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Under Austin's order, all military units are holding "stand downs" to discuss extremism

National

The Military Confronts Extremism, One Conversation At A Time

5:01am April 07, 2021

Every unit is holding a "stand down" to talk about extremism in the ranks. But the armed forces are still grappling with fundamental questions of how to define, identify and best deal with it.

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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addresses the state during a speech Thursday in Lansing. Thirteen members of two militia groups face criminal charges after allegedly plotting to kidnap Whitmer.

National

Michigan Domestic Terror Plot Sends Shockwaves Through Militia World

6:48pm October 09, 2020

by Hannah Allam

A slew of arrests in the alleged plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan sends a message to other armed groups agitating for political violence: You are being watched.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, pictured in March 2019, told NPR the threat posed by individuals subscribing to extremist ideology is a nationwide problem.

National

Michigan AG Says White Supremacist Groups Behind Plot To Kidnap Gov. Whitmer

9:56pm October 08, 2020

by Vanessa Romo

"This effort to have a mass uprising nationally is something that we should be very concerned about because, again, it's not just a Michigan problem, this is an American problem," Dana Neseel said.

"Blessing rocks" with handwritten messages are free for the taking outside the Arivaca Community Center.

National

Militias Test The Civility Of An Arizona Border Town

9:27pm April 15, 2019

Out-of-state militias have arrived to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border, raising tensions and fear in tiny Arivaca, Ariz.

From left, Gavin Wright, Patrick Eugene Stein and Curtis Allen were convicted Wednesday of plotting to bomb a Kansas apartment complex housing Somali immigrants.

National

Three Kansas Men Found Guilty Of Bomb Plot Targeting Somali Muslim Immigrants

6:16pm April 18, 2018

by Amy Held

A months-long FBI investigation reportedly yielded a recording of one of the defendants saying, "The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim." The defense argued it was protected free speech.

Protesters supporting Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy outside the federal courthouse in Las Vegas.

National

Militia Defendant Wants Cliven Bundy Trial Postponed After Las Vegas Massacre

9:49am October 06, 2017

by Kirk Siegler

One of the defendants in the case of the 2014 armed standoff at Bundy's Nevada ranch has filed a motion to delay the trial following Sunday's tragedy in Las Vegas.

Mother Jones reporter Shane Bauer went undercover with the Three Percent United Patriots border militia group.

National

What A Reporter Learned When He Infiltrated An Arizona Militia Group

2:11pm October 26, 2016

by NPR Staff

Going on patrol along the U.S.-Mexico border with the Three Percent United Patriots — amped up and equipped with night vision goggles — felt like going to war, says journalist Shane Bauer.

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Protesters in Burns, Ore., march toward the home of Dwight Hammond, a local rancher convicted of arson on federal land. The Jan. 2 protest was peaceful, but ended with a group of militiamen occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

National

Of Ranchers And Rancor: The Roots Of The Armed Occupation In Oregon

8:56pm January 03, 2016

by Colin Dwyer

An armed group has taken over a federal building in Oregon. Here's a primer on the "paradox" behind the situation, the court case that gave it a spark — and how the Oklahoma City bombing is involved.

Zachary Gallegos, 23, stands guard outside the Armed Services Recruiting Center on Thursday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Pentagon has asked such self-appointed

National

Pentagon Asks 'Armed Citizens' Not To Stand Guard At Recruiting Centers

1:12pm July 25, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The Department of Defense said it appreciates the "outpouring of support" but that the practice "could adversely impact our mission, and potentially create unintended security risks."