[Ppnews] 11 Eco Justice Activists indicted for Acts of Domestic Terrorism

[Political Prisoner News]

U.S. Indicts 11 for Acts of Domestic Terrorism

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/20/politics/20cnd-terror.html

By <http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=bylL&v1=DAVID 
STOUT&fdq=19960101&td=sysdate&sort=newest&ac=DAVID 
STOUT&inline=nyt-per>DAVID STOUT
Published: January 20, 2006

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 - Eleven people have been indicted on charges of 
carrying out a years-long spree of arson, bombings and other acts of 
domestic terrorism throughout five Western states, the Justice 
Department said today.

The 65-count indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in Eugene, 
Ore., accuses the 11 of charges that include arson, conspiracy and 
use and possession of destructive devices arising from crimes in 
Oregon, Wyoming, Washington, California and Colorado from 1996 
through 2001, the authorities said.

Working on behalf of the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal 
Liberation Front, the defendants committed arson with improvised 
incendiary devices fashioned from milk jugs, petroleum products and 
homemade timers, causing damage in the millions of dollars, Justice 
Department officials said.

"The trail of destruction left by these defendants across the Western 
United States caused millions of dollars in damage to public and 
private facilities," Attorney General 
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/alberto_r_gonzales/index.html?inline=nyt-per>Alberto 
R. Gonzales said at a news conference.

Director 
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/robert_s_iii_mueller/index.html?inline=nyt-per>Robert 
S. Mueller III of the F.B.I., who appeared at the session with Mr. 
Gonzales, said one of the bureau's "highest domestic terrorism 
priorities" is catching and prosecuting "those who commit crime and 
terrorism in the name of animal rights or environmental issues."

The indictments announced today follow a series of arrests on Dec. 7 
in Oregon, Arizona, New York and Virginia, the Justice Department 
said. Several of the defendants whose indictments were announced 
today were arrested at that time, while three people named in the 
indictment are believed to be outside the United States, the officials said.

Federal authorities say the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal 
Liberation Front have boasted of burning and bombing research 
facilities, timber operations, meatpackers and sport-utility vehicle 
dealers, among other targets. The two groups have maintained Web 
sites where they discuss operating as independent cells and share 
letters from colleagues already in prison, the authorities say.

The Animal Liberation Front has stated on its Web site that it 
"carries out direct action against animal abuse in the form of 
releasing animals and causing financial loss to animal exploiters, 
usually through the damage and destruction of property."

Most of those implicated in the attacks are in their 20's or 30's, 
investigators have said. No one is believed to have been injured in 
the attacks, but some incidents resulted in heavy financial losses. 
For instance, a 2001 fire at a timber company in Glendale, Ore., 
caused about $500,000 in damage. And in 1997, a blaze caused $450,000 
in damage to a corral holding several hundred wild horses and burros 
scheduled to be sold after their capture by the Bureau of Land Management.

The Justice Department identified those indicted as Joseph Dibee, 
Chelsea Gerlach, Sarah Harvey, Daniel McGowan, Stanislas Meyerhoff, 
Josephine Overaker, Jonathan Paul, Rebecca Rubin, Suzanne Savoie, 
Darren Thurston and Kevin Tubbs. The department said Mr. Dibee, Ms. 
Overaker and Ms. Rubin are believed to be outside the United States.


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