Hutaree

The Hutaree were a Christian nationalist militia group based in Adrian, Michigan, United States. In 2010, nine members were arrested and charged with seditious conspiracy, attempting to levy war against the United States, and various firearms offenses. The FBI alleged the group planned to kill a police officer and then attack law enforcement officials attending the funeral, hoping to incite a larger rebellion against the U.S. government.

The group's name is believed to be a deliberately misspelled rendition of "Hutari," a Hebrew word meaning "Disciplined Warriors of Christ." They subscribed to a theology rooted in Christian eschatology and believed in an imminent end-times battle against the Antichrist, whom they associated with the U.S. federal government.

In 2012, a federal judge acquitted seven of the nine members on the sedition charges, citing insufficient evidence of a concrete plan to attack law enforcement. Two others pleaded guilty to lesser charges. The group's leader, David Stone, and his son Joshua Stone, were initially convicted on firearms charges, but these convictions were later overturned on appeal. The remaining charges against the Hutaree members were eventually dropped.

The case raised significant questions about the boundaries between protected free speech, right to bear arms, and actionable threats against the government. It also highlighted the challenges faced by law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting domestic terrorism cases. The Hutaree case contributed to ongoing debates about extremism, militia groups, and the definition of sedition within the United States.