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A federal judge in Detroit today dismissed charges against seven members of the Hutaree militia who have been on trial for allegedly plotting to kill police officers in hopes of igniting a revolution against the government.

鈥淭he government鈥檚 case is built largely of circumstantial evidence,鈥� U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts said in a 28-page order dismissing the charges before the case was sent to a jury.

鈥淲hile this evidence could certainly lead a rational fact finder to conclude that 鈥榮omething fishy鈥� was going on, it does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that defendants reached a concrete agreement to forcibly oppose the United States Government,鈥� the judge聽 wrote.

Illegal firearms charges remain against two defendants, accused ringleader David Stone Sr., 44, and his son, Joshua Stone.

The defendants acquitted on all charges were: David Stone Jr., 22; Tina Stone, 46, both of Adrian, Mich.; Michael Meeks, 42, of Manchester, Mich.; Thomas Piatek, 48, of Whiting, Ind.; and Kristopher Sickles, 29, of Sandusky, Ohio.

鈥淲e鈥檙e just grateful to Judge Roberts for having the courage to do the right thing,鈥� defense attorney Michael Rataj told the . 鈥淭here was no case, no conspiracy.鈥�

Rataj claimed the case was the result of 鈥渙verzealous federal agents.鈥�

When the on Feb. 13, it was clear the case centered on whether the heavily armed Christian militia group was embarking on an armed confrontation with the federal government or merely living in a fantasy world of 鈥渞ecreation鈥� and protected free speech.

The judge鈥檚 surprise ruling came after defense attorneys argued for dismissal at the end of the prosecution鈥檚 case. The panel now will deliberate only on the firearms charges against Stone and his son.

In her written opinion, the judge said the elements of a conspiracy may be proven entirely by circumstantial evidence, but that each element of the offense must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

鈥淭his is one of those times,鈥� the judge said, adding that the court 鈥渋s limited by what inferences reason will allow it to draw.鈥�

鈥淚t stands to reason that most, if not all, of these Defendants had a strong dislike 鈥� perhaps hatred 鈥� of the Federal Government and law enforcement at every level,鈥� the judge wrote. One could also reason that certain defendants wanted to harm or kill law enforcement agents. The evidence certainly suggests that (David) Stone Sr. strongly believed in the idea of a need to go to war with certain enemies.鈥�

But, the judge concluded, the court 鈥渨ould need to engage in conjecture and surmise to find sufficient evidence that defendants shared a unity of purpose, the intent to achieve a common goal and an agreement to work together toward the goal,鈥� as case law requires.

The judge said a guilty verdict on the conspiracy charge couldn鈥檛 be sustained because the specific goal alleged in the indictment 鈥� a 鈥渕assive uprising against federal law enforcement after a funeral procession had been attacked鈥� 鈥� was 鈥渞eferenced and only vaguely by one defendant, Stone Sr.

Referring to the trial testimony of the lead federal investigator, the judge noted the agent 鈥渁dmitted on the stand that over the course of his investigation of the Hutaree, the group never had a date, time, target or plan for any attack.鈥�

鈥淰ague antigovernment hate speech simply does not amount to an agreement as a matter of law,鈥� the judge said. 鈥淭he court would need to infer and speculate not only that the other defendants were aware of Stone鈥檚 desire to spark a war with the federal government, but that an agreement to do so in the manner alleged in the indictment was reached. Reason will not allow such an incredible inference on this record.鈥�

Gina Balaya, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office, said the prosecutor鈥檚 office would not comment until the trial concludes, the Detroit newspaper reported.

In court documents filed last week, prosecutors defended the charges, saying they had proof that a plan to commit violence was under way before it was stopped with arrests of the defendants in March 2010.