« 911 Burger King Call ~ LOL | Main | Navy Prevents Town From Honoring Vets »
April 02, 2008
FBI Says Eco-Terrorism Still No.1 Domestic Terror
FBI: Eco-Terrorism Remains No. 1 Domestic Terror Threat
For nearly seven years, the nation has turned its terror focus on Al Qaeda and the hunt for Usama bin Laden. But there is a domestic terror threat that federal officials still consider priority No. 1 — eco-terrorism.
The torching of luxury homes in the swank Seattle suburb of Woodinville earlier this month served as a reminder that the decades-long war with militant environmentalists on American soil has not ended.
"It remains what we would probably consider the No. 1 domestic terrorism threat, because they have successfully continued to conduct different types of attacks in and around the country," said FBI Special Agent Richard Kolko.
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."
For years, officials have battled against members of shadowy groups such as the Earth Liberation Front and its brother-in-arms, the Animal Liberation Front. Law enforcement has made strides prosecuting cells, but it's been unable to end the arsons that have plagued developments encroaching on rural lands in the West.
FBI estimates place damages from these attacks at well over $100 million. So far, no one has been killed.
It's a problem that's unlikely to go away.
"Every time a fire breaks out and somebody takes a spray can and writes 'ELF' or 'ALF' on there, then everybody gets all excited that 'Oh this movement has started back up,'" said Bob Holland, a retired arson investigator. "The movement never really left."
Fighting for Nature
The Earth Liberation Front rose to infamy in the late 1990s for a series of arsons in the Pacific Northwest targeting industries, such as logging, that the eco-terrorists perceived as a threat to nature.
"Generally speaking, the Earth Liberation folks are motivated by a deep kind of affective connection to nature that many of them would characterize as spiritual or religious," said Bron Taylor, a professor of religion and nature at the University of Florida. "They believe that the human species is perpetrating a war on nature and that those who are connected to nature and belong to it have a right to defend themselves."
Members who carry out attacks in the name of nature tend to be of college age and well educated, and typically have an out-of-town recruiter who lures them into the act of crime, said Ron Arnold, the executive vice president of the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise.
There are exceptions to the rule, Kolko said. Some members are in their 30s, 40s and 50s.
These eco-terrorists often operate alone or in small groups, making them extremely difficult to penetrate. They target structures they feel are infringing on nature, leaving low-tech detonators that allow the fires to start after they've left.
In 2006, a nine-year federal sting dubbed "Operation Backfire" was able to dissolve a cell responsible for 20 acts of arson in five Western states over five years.
That cell, dubbed "The Family," caused more than $40 million in damage and included attacks on a meat company in Eugene, Ore., a ski resort in Vail, Colo., and the torching of SUVs in Oregon.
Trying to predict where or when they'll strike next becomes a guessing game, experts said.
"You don't know what's the hot topic in the minds of the potential perpetrators today — you can look on the Web and find out all kinds of things," Arnold said, noting that "it's very difficult to generalize because there are so many threads in the tapestry of environmentally inspired crimes."
The FBI currently has 180 ongoing eco-terror investigations and over the last several years has tied them to some 1,800 criminal acts, Kolko said.
Wild Thing's comment.........
I agree we should not ignore the eco-freaks, we should still be after them, they have killed people over the years and done terrible things inlcuding the fires like this article discusses. But they aren’t the large-scale threat that the muslims terrorists are.
They want to kill thousands... Millions if they can. They intend (and have the ability) to change the American way of life. Blow up enough malls, topple enough buildings, create enough panic and they could win.
Both are terrorists and I would take both very seriously. But I would have the ECO-Terrorists as No.2 not No. 1 like the FBI has them.
Posted by Wild Thing at April 2, 2008 01:47 AM
Comments
Eco-geeks are just plain assholes.
They won't let us build any more nuclear power plants, build refinerys or drill for more oil because they "think" it might ruin the environment, but they'll set a forest fire or bomb a building and think nothing of it. Double standards.
I'm all for trying to keep the environment clean, too, but we have to be realistic and realize that if we are to succeed in getting off foreign oil, these things are going to have to be done.
Posted by: Lynn at April 2, 2008 05:21 AM
Lynn nailed it. The eco-crazies have helped stop progress such as the building of refineries and nuclear power plants and the drilling for more fuel resouces. This has left us more dependent on foreign oil for our power needs. Of course, these eco-crazies could not have accomplished their energy blockade without the usual Leftist cast - liberal Democrat politicians, the MSM, socialist celebrities and academia.
In the long run, our long term energy dependence has caused as much harm as terrorist activities, so far. Our reliance on that foreign oil has kept us from having the retaliatory response we needed for the 9-11 attacks. A total destruction of Saudi Arabia.
Posted by: TomR at April 2, 2008 12:42 PM
OK! Now we have two terrorist threats to worry about. Too bad the Dems and MSM don't see it that way filtering the truth from a public too apathetic and/or stupid to care.
Posted by: Les at April 2, 2008 04:52 PM
Leave it to fat and lazy government buracrats to go after the easy target instead of all the saudi funded mosques in America spewing the religion of hate straight from hell.
Posted by: Odin at April 2, 2008 05:33 PM
We sure have more than our share of them in the Northwest and the liberals to set them free once caught, even though one was convicted here in Tacoma last month justice isn't served when they are left as political pawns even for a small time behind bars, execute them. Won't happen here, there have been two serial murderers who have gotten life for a plea bargain with Seattle prosecutors. Prosecutors should have their power limited to enforcement only, not deal making, these are the same folks who legislate from the bench when they become judges. Once again: Misconduct by the attorneys and perjury in any criminal trial should carry the same sentence as the charge in question.
Posted by: Jack at April 2, 2008 09:57 PM
These left-wing moonbats in Washington state burn the American Flag and defecate on Old Glory without blinking an eye, so houses aren't that... symbolic?
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at April 3, 2008 12:53 AM
Lynn...."Eco-geeks are just plain assholes"...HUGE Ditto to that.
Yes they are totally double standard all the way.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 3, 2008 01:15 AM
Tom that is true!!! It has tied our hands in how things could be handled just like you said and Lynn too.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 3, 2008 01:19 AM
Les, yes I don't think the left cares at all. They have such short sited ways of thinking. Giving in to the eco people is destroying many things and keeping us from doing what needs to be done and they could care less.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 3, 2008 01:22 AM
Odin yes and we sure have a lot of saudi schools in our country and like you said the mosques too.
It is like the ECO people and the terrorist's are on the same team to destroy us and our country.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 3, 2008 01:26 AM
Jack wow how awful! I agree they should have been put to death.
That is such a beautiful area where you are. That whole section of States is gorgeous.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 3, 2008 01:32 AM
Darth, yes they don't respect the Flag and it is down hill from there.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 3, 2008 01:33 AM
