Three members of the Pro-Trump neo-nazi militant white supremacist group “The Base” are facing years in prison after being convicted of conspiring to train with firearms for a civil war in Michigan, The Detroit Metro News reported Wednesday.
According to the report, The Base is a pro-Hitler and Pro-Trump movement that advocates a race war against non-white people with the goal of using violence “to overthrow the existing social and political order.
The men, Justen Watkins, Thomas Denton, and Tristan Webb, were charged in August 2021 with multiple felonies, including larceny in a building, gang membership, felony possession of a firearm, and conspiracy to train with firearms for a civil war, the report states.
They were also accused of breaking into the vacant Michigan Department of Corrections Camp Tuscola annex and Tuscola Residential ReEntry Program in Caro in October 2020 and stealing state-issued clothing from one of the jails.
Prosecutors allege they were scoping the site as potential training grounds for “hate camps,” which is the name the group gave its paramilitary firearms training exercises.
“Securing these convictions on the conspiracy to train for civil disorder holds significance for many reasons,” state Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. “They reiterate this office’s commitment to protecting Michigan residents, they create a historic precedent in our state’s court system, and they convey the real danger domestic terrorism poses here and around the country.”
He added: “I appreciate the thorough work done by our team and partner agencies to secure these convictions. Let them send the message that in Michigan, we will not hesitate to prosecute those who commit crimes in the name of overthrowing our government or perpetuating racist ideologies.”