Eco-protesters now 'eco-terrorists' says FBI

[Tony Gosling]

Attacks on genetically engineered crops are 'Eco-Terrorism'


Statement of James F. Jarboe Domestic Terrorism Section Chief
Counterterrorism Division Federal Bureau of Investigation on The Threat of
Eco-Terrorism
February 12, 2002
http://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress02/jarboe021202.htm

Before the House Resources Committee Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health

Good morning Chairman McInnis, Vice-Chairman Peterson, Congressman Inslee
and Members of the Subcommittee. I am pleased to have the opportunity to
appear before you and discuss the threat posed by eco-terrorism, as well as
the measures being taken by the FBI and our law enforcement partners to
address this threat.

The FBI divides the terrorist threat facing the United States into two
broad categories, international and domestic. International terrorism
involves violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation
of the criminal laws of the United States or any state, or that would be a
criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United
States or any state. Acts of international terrorism are intended to
intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a
government, or affect the conduct of a government. These acts transcend
national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished,
the persons they appear intended to intimidate, or the locale in which
perpetrators operate.

Domestic terrorism is the unlawful use, or threatened use, of violence by a
group or individual based and operating entirely within the United States
(or its territories) without foreign direction, committed against persons
or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population,
or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.

During the past decade we have witnessed dramatic changes in the nature of
the terrorist threat. In the 1990s, right-wing extremism overtook left-wing
terrorism as the most dangerous domestic terrorist threat to the country.
During the past several years, special interest extremism, as characterized
by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF),
has emerged as a serious terrorist threat. Generally, extremist groups
engage in much activity that is protected by constitutional guarantees of
free speech and assembly. Law enforcement becomes involved when the
volatile talk of these groups transgresses into unlawful action. The FBI
estimates that the ALF/ELF have committed more than 600 criminal acts in
the United States since 1996, resulting in damages in excess of 43 million
dollars.

Special interest terrorism differs from traditional right-wing and
left-wing terrorism in that extremist special interest groups seek to
resolve specific issues, rather than effect widespread political change.
Special interest extremists continue to conduct acts of politically
motivated violence to force segments of society, including the general
public, to change attitudes about issues considered important to their
causes. These groups occupy the extreme fringes of animal rights, pro-life,
environmental, anti-nuclear, and other movements. Some special interest
extremists -- most notably within the animal rights and environmental
movements -- have turned increasingly toward vandalism and terrorist
activity in attempts to further their causes.

Since 1977, when disaffected members of the ecological preservation group
Greenpeace formed the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and attacked
commercial fishing operations by cutting drift nets, acts of
"eco-terrorism" have occurred around the globe. The FBI defines
eco-terrorism as the use or threatened use of violence of a criminal nature
against innocent victims or property by an environmentally-oriented,
subnational group for environmental-political reasons, or aimed at an
audience beyond the target, often of a symbolic nature.

In recent years, the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) has become one of the
most active extremist elements in the United States. Despite the
destructive aspects of ALF's operations, its operational philosophy
discourages acts that harm "any animal, human and nonhuman." Animal rights
groups in the United States, including the ALF, have generally adhered to
this mandate. The ALF, established in Great Britain in the mid-1970s, is a
loosely organized movement committed to ending the abuse and exploitation
of animals. The American branch of the ALF began its operations in the late
1970s. Individuals become members of the ALF not by filing paperwork or
paying dues, but simply by engaging in "direct action" against companies or
individuals who utilize animals for research or economic gain. "Direct
action" generally occurs in the form of criminal activity to cause economic
loss or to destroy the victims' company operations. The ALF activists have
engaged in a steadily growing campaign of illegal activity against fur
companies, mink farms, restaurants, and animal research laboratories.

Estimates of damage and destruction in the United States claimed by the ALF
during the past ten years, as compiled by national organizations such as
the Fur Commission and the National Association for Biomedical Research
(NABR), put the fur industry and medical research losses at more than 45
million dollars. The ALF is considered a terrorist group, whose purpose is
to bring about social and political change through the use of force and
violence.

Disaffected environmentalists, in 1980, formed a radical group called
"Earth First!" and engaged in a series of protests and civil disobedience
events. In 1984, however, members introduced "tree spiking" (insertion of
metal or ceramic spikes in trees in an effort to damage saws) as a tactic
to thwart logging. In 1992, the ELF was founded in Brighton, England, by
Earth First! members who refused to abandon criminal acts as a tactic when
others wished to mainstream Earth First!. In 1993, the ELF was listed for
the first time along with the ALF in a communique declaring solidarity in
actions between the two groups. This unity continues today with a crossover
of leadership and membership. It is not uncommon for the ALF and the ELF to
post joint declarations of responsibility for criminal actions on their
web-sites. In 1994, founders of the San Francisco branch of Earth First!
published in The Earth First! Journal a recommendation that Earth First!
mainstream itself in the United States, leaving criminal acts other than
unlawful protests to the ELF.

The ELF advocates "monkeywrenching," a euphemism for acts of sabotage and
property destruction against industries and other entities perceived to be
damaging to the natural environment. "Monkeywrenching" includes tree
spiking, arson, sabotage of logging or construction equipment, and other
types of property destruction. Speeches given by Jonathan Paul and Craig
Rosebraugh at the 1998 National Animal Rights Conference held at the
University of Oregon, promoted the unity of both the ELF and the ALF
movements. The ELF posted information on the ALF website until it began its
own website in January 2001, and is listed in the same underground activist
publications as the ALF.

The most destructive practice of the ALF/ELF is arson. The ALF/ELF members
consistently use improvised incendiary devices equipped with crude but
effective timing mechanisms. These incendiary devices are often constructed
based upon instructions found on the ALF/ELF websites. The ALF/ELF criminal
incidents often involve pre-activity surveillance and well-planned
operations. Members are believed to engage in significant intelligence
gathering against potential targets, including the review of industry/trade
publications, photographic/video surveillance of potential targets, and
posting details about potential targets on the internet.

The ALF and the ELF have jointly claimed credit for several raids including
a November 1997 attack of the Bureau of Land Management wild horse corrals
near Burns, Oregon, where arson destroyed the entire complex resulting in
damages in excess of four hundred and fifty thousand dollars and the June
1998 arson attack of a U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Damage Control
Building near Olympia, Washington, in which damages exceeded two million
dollars. The ELF claimed sole credit for the October 1998, arson of a Vail,
Colorado, ski facility in which four ski lifts, a restaurant, a picnic
facility and a utility building were destroyed. Damage exceeded $12
million. On 12/27/1998, the ELF claimed responsibility for the arson at the
U.S. Forest Industries Office in Medford, Oregon, where damages exceeded
five hundred thousand dollars. Other arsons in Oregon, New York,
Washington, Michigan, and Indiana have been claimed by the ELF. Recently,
the ELF has also claimed attacks on genetically engineered crops and trees.
The ELF claims these attacks have totaled close to $40 million in damages.

The name of a group called the Coalition to Save the Preserves (CSP),
surfaced in relation to a series of arsons that occurred in the Phoenix,
Arizona, area. These arsons targeted several new homes under construction
near the North Phoenix Mountain Preserves. No direct connection was
established between the CSP and ALF/ELF. However, the stated goal of CSP to
stop development of previously undeveloped lands, is similar to that of the
ELF. The property damage associated with the arsons has been estimated to
be in excess of $5 million.

The FBI has developed a strong response to the threats posed by domestic
and international terrorism. Between fiscal years 1993 and 2003, the number
of Special Agents dedicated to the FBI's counterterrorism programs grew by
approximately 224 percent to 1,669 -- nearly 16 percent of all FBI Special
Agents. In recent years, the FBI has strengthened its counterterrorism
program to enhance its abilities to carry out these objectives.

Cooperation among law enforcement agencies at all levels represents an
important component of a comprehensive response to terrorism. This
cooperation assumes its most tangible operational form in the Joint
Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) that are established in 44 cities across the
nation. These task forces are particularly well-suited to responding to
terrorism because they combine the national and international investigative
resources of the FBI with the street-level expertise of local law
enforcement agencies. Given the success of the JTTF concept, the FBI has
established 15 new JTTFs since the end of 1999. By the end of 2003 the FBI
plans to have established JTTFs in each of its 56 field offices. By
integrating the investigative abilities of the FBI and local law
enforcement agencies, these task forces represent an effective response to
the threats posed to U.S. communities by domestic and international
terrorists.

The FBI and our law enforcement partners have made a number of arrests of
individuals alleged to have perpetrated acts of eco-terrorism. Several of
these individuals have been successfully prosecuted. Following the
investigation of the Phoenix, Arizona, arsons noted earlier, Mark Warren
Sands was indicted and arrested on 6/14/2001. On 11/07/2001, Sands pleaded
guilty to ten counts of extortion and using fire in the commission of a
federal felony.

In February 2001, teenagers Jared McIntyre, Matthew Rammelkamp, and George
Mashkow all pleaded guilty, as adults, to title 18 U.S.C. 844(i), Arson,
and 844(n), Arson Conspiracy. These charges pertain to a series of arsons
and attempted arsons of new home construction sites in Long Island, New
York. An adult, Connor Cash, was also arrested on February 15, 2001, and
charged under the same federal statutes. Jared McIntrye stated that these
acts were committed in sympathy of the ELF movement. The New York Joint
Terrorism Task Force played a significant role in the arrest and
prosecution of these individuals.

On 1/23/2001, Frank Ambrose was arrested by officers of the Department of
Natural Resources with assistance from the Indianapolis JTTF, on a local
warrant out of Monroe County Circuit Court, Bloomington, Indiana, charging
Ambrose with timber spiking. Ambrose is suspected of involvement in the
spiking of approximately 150 trees in Indiana state forests. The ELF
claimed responsibility for these incidents.

On September 16, 1998, a federal grand jury in the Western District of
Wisconsin indicted Peter Young and Justin Samuel for Hobbs Act violations
as well as for animal enterprise terrorism. Samuel was apprehended in
Belgium, and was subsequently extradited to the United States. On August
30, 2000, Samuel pleaded guilty to two counts of animal enterprise
terrorism and was sentenced on November 3, 2000, to two years in prison,
two years probation, and ordered to pay $364,106 in restitution. Samuel's
prosecution arose out of his involvement in mink releases in Wisconsin in
1997. This incident was claimed by the ALF. The investigation and arrest of
Justin Samuel were the result of a joint effort by federal, state, and
local agencies.

On April 20, 1997, Douglas Joshua Ellerman turned himself in and admitted
on videotape to purchasing, constructing, and transporting five pipe bombs
to the scene of the March 11, 1997, arson at the Fur Breeders Agricultural
co-op in Sandy, Utah. Ellerman also admitted setting fire to the facility.
Ellerman was indicted on June 19, 1997 on 16 counts, and eventually pleaded
guilty to three. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and restitution
of approximately $750,000. Though this incident was not officially claimed
by ALF, Ellerman indicated during an interview subsequent to his arrest
that he was a member of ALF. This incident was investigated jointly by the
FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).

Rodney Adam Coronado was convicted for his role in the February 2, 1992,
arson at an animal research laboratory on the campus of Michigan State
University. Damage estimates, according to public sources, approached
$200,000 and included the destruction of research records. On July 3, 1995,
Coronado pled guilty for his role in the arson and was sentenced to 57
months in federal prison, three years probation, and restitution of more
than $2 million. This incident was claimed by ALF. The FBI, ATF, and the
Michigan State University police played a significant role in the
investigation, arrest, and prosecution.

Marc Leslie Davis, Margaret Katherine Millet, Marc Andre Baker, and Ilse
Washington Asplund were all members of the self-proclaimed "Evan Mecham
Eco-Terrorist International Conspiracy" (EMETIC). EMETIC was formed to
engage in eco-terrorism against nuclear power plants and ski resorts in the
southwestern United States. In November 1987, the group claimed
responsibility for damage to a chairlift at the Fairfield Snow Bowl Ski
Resort near Flagstaff, Arizona. Davis, Millet, and Baker were arrested in
May 1989 on charges relating to the Fairfield Snow Bowl incident and
planned incidents at the Central Arizona Project and Palo Verde nuclear
generating stations in Arizona; the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Facility in
California; and the Rocky Flats Nuclear Facility in Colorado. All pleaded
guilty and were sentenced in September 1991. Davis was sentenced to six
years in federal prison, and restitution to the Fairfield Snow Bowl Ski
Resort in the amount of $19,821. Millet was sentenced to three years in
federal prison, and restitution to Fairfield in the amount of $19,821.
Baker was sentenced to one year in federal prison, five months probation, a
$5,000 fine, and 100 hours of community service. Asplund was also charged
and was sentenced to one year in federal prison, five years probation, a
$2,000 fine, and 100 hours of community service.

Currently, more than 26 FBI field offices have pending investigations
associated with ALF/ELF activities. Despite all of our efforts (increased
resources allocated, JTTFs, successful arrests and prosecutions), law
enforcement has a long way to go to adequately address the problem of
eco-terrorism. Groups such as the ALF and the ELF present unique
challenges. There is little if any hierarchal structure to such entities.
Eco-terrorists are unlike traditional criminal enterprises which are often
structured and organized.

The difficulty investigating such groups is demonstrated by the fact that
law enforcement has thus far been unable to effect the arrests of anyone
for some recent criminal activity directed at federal land managers or
their offices. However, there are several ongoing investigations regarding
such acts. Current investigations include the 10/14/2001 arson at the
Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Corral in Litchfield,
California, the 7/20/2000 destruction of trees and damage to vehicles at
the U.S. Forestry Science Laboratory in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and the
11/29/1997 arson at the Bureau of Land Management Corral in Burns, Oregon.

Before closing, I would like to acknowledge the cooperation and assistance
rendered by the U.S. Forest Service in investigating incidents of
eco-terrorism. Specifically, I would like to recognize the assistance that
the Forest Service is providing with regard to the ongoing investigation of
the 7/20/2000 incident of vandalism and destruction that occurred at the
U.S. Forestry Science Laboratory in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.

The FBI and all of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners
will continue to strive to address the difficult and unique challenges
posed by eco-terrorists. Despite the recent focus on international
terrorism, we remain fully cognizant of the full range of threats that
confront the United States.

Chairman McInnis and Members of the Subcommittee, this concludes my
prepared remarks. I would like to express appreciation for your
concentration on the issue of eco-terrorism and I look forward to
responding to any questions.






--
Tony Gosling
10-12 Picton Street
Bristol
BS6 5QA
England
+44 (0)117 944 6219

tony at gaia.org
http://www.bilderberg.org
http://www.public-interest.co.uk

"US foreign policy can be defined as follows: 'Kiss my arse or I'll kick
your head in.'"  Harold Pinter --- see
http://www.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,3604,309521,00.html

US foreign policy is run by a private business club: The Council on Foreign
Relations --- http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/2807

ps. If you get the "S" and the "11" and superimpose them you get a dollar
sign. Coincidence of course!