Jan. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Eleven environmental activists were indicted in connection with a series of arsons in the western U.S. dating back to 1996.
The environmentalists, members of the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front, are accused by prosecutors of operating as a domestic terror cell. The 65-count indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in Eugene, Oregon, and unsealed today.
The charges cover 17 incidents of "domestic terrorism" over four years and include alleged attacks at U.S. forest ranger stations, federal wild horse facilities, meat processing companies, lumber companies, a high-tension power line and a ski resort in Colorado, according to court papers.
"The trail of destruction left by these defendants across the western United States caused millions of dollars in damage to public and private facilities," U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said in a statement. "We will not tolerate any group that terrorizes the American people, no matter its intentions or objectives." |