ALF/ELF - the terror threat nobody dares talk about

Loonman

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Wed Feb-18-04 09:06 AM
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ALF/ELF - the terror threat nobody dares talk about

http://www.thetimesharebeat.com/wash/crossings63.htm

"The FBI estimates that ALF/ELF has committed more than 600 criminal acts in the United States since 1996, resulting in more than $43 million in damages," Jarboe testified. "The tragedy of September 11th has not slowed these groups," he continued. In order to regain prominence in the public mind, they have "turned increasingly towards vandalism and terrorist activities in attempts to further their cause." For example, a family-owned auto dealership in Eugene, Oregon suffered a one million dollar loss when 35 SUVs were set on fire last March. ELF described the fire in its press release as a warning that "gas-guzzling SUVs are at the forefront of this vile imperialist caravan towards self-destruction."

Defenders of ALF/ELF cite a record of over two decades of "direct action" (self-defined as fire, vandalism and property damage). They claim never to have killed or seriously injured any individuals. The groups describe themselves as waging a "nonviolent campaign taking all precautions not to harm any animal - human or otherwise." They prefer to be called A-L-F and E-L-F, not "alf" or "elf." They seem to disregard a scientist and the wood industry association executive both of whom had their fingers blown off by a letter bomb a few years back.

That safety record more good fortune, than good intentions, their critics say, noting that the groups take no responsibility for first responders such as fire fighters who might be injured or copycats who might not be as cautious. (ALF/ELF fires are usually set in the middle of the night, each cell operating independently without advanced communiqués.)

http://slate.msn.com/id/2090581/

The radical Earth Liberation Front has claimed responsibility for an Oct. 24 attack on a Wal-Mart construction site in Martinsville, Ind. The saboteurs vandalized over a dozen vehicles, resulting in $25,000 worth of damages—a tiny blip compared to the $100 million in damages the group says it has inflicted since the mid-1990s. What are the ELF's goals, exactly?

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001756001_ecoterror02.html

ELF first took aim at urban sprawl in 2000, when it burned luxury homes and condos under construction on New York's Long Island. But Phil Celestini, the agent in charge of the FBI's domestic terrorism operations unit in Washington, noted that the San Diego fires "are taking place in more densely populated areas than in the past."

On Aug. 1, a fire destroyed a five-story, 206-unit apartment complex under construction in San Diego's University City neighborhood. The damage estimate of $50 million made it "the single largest act of property destruction ever committed by one of these groups in the history of the country," Celestini said.

"It's sheer dumb luck and providence that someone has not been killed," he said. "You set a fire that big, there's no way of predicting what the ultimate consequences will be."

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1126/p02s01-usju.html

Initially, acts of "monkey wrenching" amounted to little more than vandalism aimed at such targets as logging equipment and mink farms. In the 1990s, that escalated to major arson and bombings. Meanwhile, the range of targets in recent months has expanded to include biotechnology firms, SUV dealers, housing developments, Wal-Mart stores, and a bottled water plant.

According to the FBI, there have been some 600 acts of ecoterrorism in the United States with property losses totaling nearly $50 million. Speaking of recent attacks on biotech firms, Phil Celestini, head of the FBI's domestic terrorism unit in Washington, told the Associated Press, "We've seen a drastic escalation in the use of violent tactics in the past year."