Arrests were made Thursday in Michigan of two men accused of committing crimes on behalf of a violent white supremacist group known as The Base, including its alleged leader, Justen Watkins.
Mr. Watkins, 25, and Alfred Gorman, 35, were each arrested and charged with felonies related to an incident that occurred last year involving The Base and a researcher who studies the far-right.
Both men are accused of taking photographs late on the night of Dec. 19, 2019, on the front porch of a house in Dexter, Mich., where they falsely believed the researcher was living at the time.
One of the photos of a masked person standing on the porch was then shared on social media with the caption: “The Base sends greetings to Daniel Harper of the Antifa podcast ’I Don’t Speak German’.”
Mr. Harper had recently been reporting about anti-fascist groups and other far-right extremists on his podcast, although he did not live at the residence where the late night photo was taken.
A man named Richard Shea and his wife and their infant child lived at the Dexter residence when the incident occurred, and they were home at the time and accordingly contacted the police.
Ten months later, a Michigan Department of State Police detective said in an affidavit released this week that investigators determined Mr. Watkins and Mr. Gorman were the men outside the home.
“Using tactics of intimidation to incite fear and violence constitutes criminal behavior,” Michigan state Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. “We cannot allow dangerous activities to reach their goal of inflicting violence and harm on the public. I am proud to work alongside law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels to safeguard the public’s safety from these serious threats.”
Mr. Watkins was identified as a member of The Base in late 2019 and claimed to have been appointed its new leader after the last one was arrested, the detective wrote in the affidavit.
He also previously ran a “hate camp” for members of The Base where he led tactical and firearms training, MSP Detective Sergeant Sherry Workman wrote in the affidavit.
Both suspects have been charged with felony gang membership for their alleged involvement with The Base, as well as counts of unlawful posting of a message and using computers to commit a crime.
Online records did not list a lawyer representing either defendant who could be reached for comment.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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