Two men were acquitted of planning to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020 by a federal jury in the United States, but two other men were found guilty on the same counts.

On Friday, a 12-member panel in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan, declared Adam Fox and Daniel Harris not guilty of kidnapping conspiracy charges. For Brandon Caserta and Barry Croft Jr., the jury was unable to reach an agreement on a verdict.

With respect to claims of intending to use explosives to blow up a bridge after abducting the governor, Harris was found not guilty of knowingly conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction against people or property.

The jury was unable to reach a decision on the identical accusation against Fox and Croft, resulting in a mistrial. The weapons case against Caserta was dropped.

The difficulty of discussions was acknowledged by US District Judge Robert Jonker. Conviction or acquittal decisions must be unanimous. “I understand how difficult it is. “We all know how difficult it is,” Jonker told the jurors.

“It’s critical to achieve unity if at all possible… “If you just can’t see it, that’s what we need to hear as your final response,” Jonker stated.

The men were indicted in a plan authorities say was sparked by their outspoken resistance to Whitmer’s office’s pandemic-related limitations.

The case is one of the most high-profile indictments of accused members of right-wing organizations since former President Donald Trump’s victory in 2016.

It also emphasizes how the COVID-19 outbreak and government efforts to contain it have become a political hot potato in the United States.

According to the prosecution, the guys were members of self-styled militia organizations who planned to break into Whitmer’s holiday house, kidnap her, and put her on “trial” for treason.

The four men on trial are among 13 persons arrested and accused of state or federal offenses in the alleged abduction scheme in October 2020. The in-state court, seven of them are facing accusations.

After discovering internet conversations regarding the violent takeover of several state governments, the FBI claimed it had begun following the group’s actions.