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Urgent ELP! Bulletin (11th of March 2008)<br>
<br>
Dear friends<br>
<br>
News is coming in of a number of raids/arrests involving American
environmentalists. <br>
<br>
The raids appear to be linked to an arson at Michigan State University in
1999 and another arson at a logging site in 2000. Both arsons where
claimed at the time by the Earth Liberation Front.<br>
<br>
Well known American Earth First! activist, Frank Ambrose, (who has been
wrongfully accused of ELF actions in the past) told ELP he has been
charged on three counts of arson and conspiracy to commit arson.
Other people listed in the indictment include Marie Mason, Aren
Berthwick, Stephanie Sultz, and an "un-named participant known to
the grand jury." <br>
<br>
At this moment in time ELP is unaware of what has happened to Aren
Berthwick or Stephanie Sultz, but we are aware that Maria Mason has also
been arrested and is currently in custody in Ohio and is expected to be
extradited to Michigan.<br>
<br>
If anyone knows anything about Aren or Stephanie please contact ELP as
soon as possible.<br>
<br>
ELP will keep you up to date with this news as we get it. In the
meantime please send letters of support to:<br>
<br>
MARIE MASON #134001<br>
Butler County Sheriff's Office & Correctional Complex<br>
705 Hanover Street<br>
Hamilton, Ohio 45011<br>
USA<br>
<br>
++++++++++++<br>
<br>
Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network<br>
BM Box 2407<br>
London<br>
WC1N 3XX<br>
England<br>
<a href="http://www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk">www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk</a>
<br><br>
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<a href="http://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Releases/Michigan+State+University+Arsonists+Charged/3449079.html" eudora="autourl">
http://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Releases/Michigan+State+University+Arsonists+Charged/3449079.html<br>
<br>
</a>March 11, 2008 2:52 PM EDT <br><br>
Indictment alleges the arsons were committed on behalf of 'Earth
Liberation Front'<br><br>
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the grounds
of Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing, Michigan, United
States Attorney Charles R. Gross; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena; MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon;
and MSU Police Department Chief James H. Dunlap, announced the unsealing
today of a 4-count felony Indictment charging four defendants with
conspiracy to commit arson, aggravated arson, and arson in connection
with the December 31, 1999, arson of Agriculture Hall on the main campus
of MSU and the January 1, 2000, arson of commercial logging equipment
near Mesick, Michigan. <br><br>
The defendants are Marie Jeanette Mason, 46, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Frank
Brian Ambrose, 33, of Detroit, Michigan; Aren Bernard Burthwick, 27, of
Detroit, Michigan; and Stephanie Lynne Fultz, 27, of Detroit, Michigan.
<br><br>
According to the Indictment, the four conspired to commit the MSU arson
in order to destroy federally-funded plant genetic research being
conducted by university employees, and Mason and Ambrose then carried out
the arson. The Indictment alleges that the four also conspired to destroy
commercial logging equipment in order to sabotage lumbering activity, and
that all four Defendants then carried out the arson. <br><br>
The Indictment alleges that both actions were committed on behalf of the
"Earth Liberation Front (ELF)," a loosely-organized movement of
environmental extremists with a history of destroying property, often by
arson, in order to intimidate and coerce communities, businesses, and
governments into abandoning activities that ELF adherents consider
harmful to the environment.<br><br>
"The Indictment we are announcing today is a testament to the
perseverance, dedication and hard work of law enforcement professionals
at both the state and federal level," said United States Attorney
Gross. <br><br>
FBI Special Agent in Charge Arena added that "This investigation has
been ongoing for almost a decade and it should be a reminder to all that
the FBI does not allow the passage of time to thwart our ability to apply
our full resources to a case. In particular, domestic terrorism is a top
priority of the FBI and we will continue to aggressively investigate and
pursue prosecution of all such matters. We would also like to thank the
MSU Police Department for its cooperation throughout this
investigation."<br><br>
Speaking for the University, MSU President Simon observed that "This
was more than an attack on a building and the destruction of valuable
property. It was an assault on the core value of free and open inquiry at
a research university. We always must be open to ideas that challenge our
own, but what we must never allow are disruptions meant to shut down the
open marketplace of ideas." <br><br>
Commenting on the MSU Police Department's significant role in the
investigation, Chief Dunlap explained "This was a significant act of
domestic terrorism which caused more than a million dollars in damage to
facilities and loss of research records. As a result, the University
dedicated an unprecedented amount of resources and personnel to
investigate this crime, and the Michigan State University Police
Department appreciates the cooperation of both the FBI and the United
States Attorney's Office in the joint investigation of this case and the
resulting Federal Indictment."<br><br>
The case is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant United
States Attorney Hagen W. Frank. <br><br>
The charges in an Indictment are only allegations of criminal conduct,
and the Defendants are presumed innocent until their guilt is established
in court by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. <br><br>
<a href="http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/miw">www.usdoj.gov/usao/miw</a><br><br>
SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice<br><br>
<br><br>
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