FBI arrests six from around the country for green-themed crimes
It’s one of the biggest-ever busts for “ecoterrorism” (we’ll take the scare quotes off when someone gets hurt, thank you very much): On Wednesday, federal agents arrested six people in five states and indicted them on charges related to a string of property crimes in Washington and Oregon from 1998 to 2001. Included in the crimes are the destruction of a Bonneville Power Administration power-transmission tower near Bend, Ore., in December 1999, along with a string of arsons. The FBI claims the four men and two women are associated with each other and with the Earth Liberation Front, an amorphous group that along with the Animal Liberation Front has claimed responsibility for eco-inspired vandalism around the country for years. Federal officials are trumpeting the get-tough message, but Arizonian Ron Coronado, self-described unofficial spokesflack for ELF and ALF, says the charges won’t stick.
