911 Call Was to Be Start of Terrorist Plot

A group of nine Michigan men who formed an anti-government extremist group were planning to kill a police officer, possibly lured to an ambush location by a 911 call, and then attack the resulting officer’s funeral in order to kill more officers, according to a federal indictment filed by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Detroit yesterday. The plan emphasizes the critical nature of the 911 calltaking process by dispatchers, and raises questions about how to combat such hoax calls. Eight men were arrested by heavily-armed FBI teams over the weekend, and a ninth was arrested on Monday. Federal officials say the men called their group “Hutaree,” but aren’t clear on the group’s exact motives for the attacks. The indictment states the group considers local and state law enforcement officers their enemies, and that they intended to wage a war against them. The nine were charged with seditious conspiracy, attempting to use weapons of mass destruction, teaching/demonstrating the use of explosive materials, and carrying, using and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. They are jailed at a federal Detroit facility.According to the indictment, the group trained in the rural Michigan woods wearing camouflage uniforms emblazoned with the group’s shoulder patch, firing rifles and handguns. The participants researched how to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which they intended to use when attacking the large funeral that would be held for the murdered officer. It’s not clear if any of those arrested actually gathered any explosive materials or constructed a working device.

The indictment says the general concept was to, “commit some violent act to draw the attention of law enforcement or government officials and which would prompt a response by law enforcement.”

The possible acts discussed by the group included killing a member of law enforcement after a traffic stop, kill a law enforcement officer’s family at home or ambushing a member of law enforcement in rural communities.

The indictment also states the attack options included, “luring a member of law enforcement with a false 911 emergency call and then killing him or her.” According to the U.S. Attorney, “These acts would intimidate and demoralize law enforcement diminishing their ranks and rendering them ineffective.”

It’s not uncommon for dispatchers to receive hoax, prank or harassing 911 calls. However, in almost every case the motive is not related to criminal conduct. The key elements of calltaking are the best screening tools: obtaining the caller’s name, current location, callback telephone number, and obtaining a full account of the incident being reported.

The caller’s demeanor, background noises and other information can also be pertinent in screening the call. Keeping the caller on the line during the response is another method of helping verify the incident.

Lastly, it’s critical to relay all the information to the responding field forces so they’re able to evaluate the incident and plan their response and arrival.

Download (pdf) a copy of the full federal indictment here.