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The FBI says it has thwarted a plot to abduct and overthrow Michigan’s Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Mrs Whitmer has become a target for coronavirus sceptics after enacting strict measures that were overturned by a judge last week. Officials say the kidnapping plot involved six men who planned to hold a «treason trial» for her.

«Hatred, bigotry and violence have no place» in Michigan, Mrs Whitmer said, describing the accused as «depraved».

According to a sworn FBI affidavit, an undercover law enforcement source attended a June meeting in Dublin, Ohio, where a group of Michigan-based militia members discussed overthrowing state governments «that they believed were violating the US Constitution». «Several members talked about murdering ‘tyrants’ or ‘taking’ a sitting governor,» the charging document states. In one video, a suspect denounced the state’s role in deciding when to reopen gyms during the coronavirus lockdown.

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Fourteen villages have been evacuated and a motorway closed after a huge blaze at an ammunitions depot south-east of the Russian capital, Moscow.

At least six people have been injured, with five requiring hospital treatment.

The depot in the Ryazan region is reportedly used to store missiles and other artillery munitions. The site caught fire on Wednesday after flames spread from burning grasslands, officials said. A state of emergency has been declared in the region.

The emergency services reported a string of explosions from the depot site — coming every five to ten seconds — shortly after the fire broke out at about 13:40 local time (10:40 GMT). In footage shared by Russian media, loud bangs can be heard as columns of thick smoke rise above the site.

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After a trial lasting more than five years, the leadership of Greece’s neo-Nazi party has been convicted of running a criminal organisation.

Big crowds gathered outside the court in Athens as the judges gave verdicts on 68 defendants. Golden Dawn secured 18 MPs in 2012, as Greeks were battered by a financial crisis. The criminal inquiry into the party began with the murder of an anti-fascist rapper in 2013.

Leader Nikos Michaloliakos and six colleagues were convicted of heading a criminal group. Supporter Giorgos Roupakias was found guilty of murdering an anti-racist musician and 15 others were convicted of conspiracy in the case.

Some 2,000 police were deployed around Athens Appeals Court as thousands of protesters demanded long jail terms, carrying banners that read «fear will not win» and «Nazis in prison», Greek media reported.

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The UK was the world’s second-biggest arms exporter behind the United States over the past decade, government figures suggest.

Orders worth £11 billion were won in 2019, which the government said placed the UK ahead of Russia and France. Almost £100bn worth of contracts since 2010 included the sale of Typhoons to Saudi Arabia and missiles to Qatar.

The government says the sales support good jobs but critics said the figures should be «a great source of shame». The Campaign Against Arms Trade said the UK was «arming and supporting repression around the world».

The UK government has said that the UK’s defence exports generate thousands of high-value and highly-skilled jobs and sustain capabilities that help keep the country safe.

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A Jewish student has been badly injured in an attack by a man wielding a shovel as he entered a synagogue in the northern city of Hamburg.

The 26-year-old sustained severe head injuries and was taken to hospital, according to local media. The suspected attacker was arrested and police confirmed they were investigating the case as attempted murder with anti-Semitic intent.

Last month Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of rising anti-Semitism.

The incident took place almost one year after a gunman attacked a synagogue in the city of Halle during Yom Kippur, killing two.

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