Press Release - 11 Indicted in Environmental Witch Hunt

Transcript of Press Conference with Attorney General Gonzales, FBI Director Mueller, and ATF Director Truscott

1/20/2006 3:45:00 PM

To: National Desk

Contact: U.S. Department of Justice, 202-514-2007 or 202-514-1888 (TDD); Web: http://WWW.USDOJ.GOV

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is a transcript of the press conference with Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, FBI Director Robert Mueller, and ATF Director Carl Truscott regarding today's domestic terrorism indictment:

MR. GONZALES: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I am joined by FBI Director Robert Mueller, ATF Director Carl Truscott, and Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher from the Criminal Division.

Yesterday, a grand jury in the District of Oregon returned an indictment charging 11 members of a Portland-based cell of animal rights and environmental extremists for their roles in a pattern of domestic terrorism activities.

The 65-count indictment includes numerous charges of arson, attempted arson, conspiracy to commit arson, use and possession of a destructive device, and destruction of an energy facility.

The indictment tells a story of four-and-a-half years of arson, vandalism, violence, and destruction claimed to have been executed on behalf of the Animal Liberation Front or Earth Liberation Front, extremist movements known to support acts of domestic terrorism.

Specifically, the indictment alleges that a group of defendants who referred to themselves as "the family" worked together with extensive planning to influence the conduct of government and private businesses through the use of coordinated force, violence, sabotage, intimidation, and coercion.

On a number of occasions, they constructed incendiary devices made from milk jugs or plastic buckets, petroleum products, and delayed timers and then used them to destroy buildings, vehicles, and other targets chosen to harm the government, disrupt the public, and strike at the economic well-being of state governments and private businesses.

This cell was responsible for more than 15 incidents across five states, a well-coordinated series of violent attacks that included arsons or attempted arsons at U.S. Forest Service Ranger Stations, animal holding facilities, lumber companies and timber farms, the Vail Ski Resort, and the Eugene, Oregon Police Department. In addition, three of the defendants are charged with destruction of a high tension tower at the Bonneville Power Administration in Bend, Oregon.

In many cases, the group publicized the incidents with graffiti, press releases, and communiques attributing the actions and the stated reasons for those actions to the Animal Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front terrorist movements.

In all, their trail of destruction across the Pacific Northwest and beyond resulted in millions of dollars of property damage. Today's indictment is a significant step in bringing these terrorists to justice.

Six of the defendants were arrested more than a month ago and are currently being detained, including one Canadian citizen that ICE found in possession of a forged Green Card and Social Security Card. Two more were arrested this week on criminal complaints charging them with arsons mentioned in this indictment and three others are believed to be outside the country. We're working hard with a number of partners to find these individuals and bring them to justice here in the United States.

As this and all criminal indictments are not evidence of guilt, the defendants named in this indictment are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The investigation, arrests, and indictments in this case are the result of widespread cooperation and coordination throughout the law enforcement community. I'd like to thank the U.S. Attorney's office in Oregon and the many prosecutors and investigators from a host of law enforcement agencies at every level for their work on this case and their continued determination to help protect Americans from the threat of terrorism, both foreign and domestic.

I'd like to now invite Bob Mueller to the podium and he will be followed by Carl Truscott and then we'll be happy to take any questions you may have.

Bob?

MR. MUELLER: Good afternoon, everyone. Today's indictment marks the culmination of an intensive investigation by the FBI, as well as our partners, including ATF, an investigation focused on a group of individuals who have committed numerous, violent acts in the name of animal rights and environmental causes.

But terrorism is terrorism, no matter what the motive. The FBI is committed to protecting Americans from crime and terrorism, including acts of domestic terrorism in the name of animal rights for the environment.

And there is a clear difference, a clear difference between Constitutionally protected advocacy, which is the right of all Americans, and violent, criminal activity. It is one thing to write concerned letters or to hold peaceful demonstrations. It is another thing entirely to construct and use improvised explosives or incendiary devices to harass and intimidate victims by destroying property and to cause millions of dollars in losses by acts or threats of violence.

The FBI becomes involved, as it did in this case, only when volatile talk crosses the line into violence and criminal activity. Today's indictment marks significant progress in our efforts to combat animal rights extremism and eco-terrorism.

And thanks to the outstanding cooperation and strong partnerships we've had both at the federal level, as well as the state and local level, we have taken the first steps towards bringing this cell to justice. And we in the FBI will continue to work with our partners to investigate and bring to justice extremist movements whose criminal acts threaten the American economy and American lives.

Now, let me turn it over to Carl.

MR. TRUSCOTT: Thank you very much, Director Mueller. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. The indictments announced today represent the culmination of almost 10 years of persistent work on behalf of ATF and our federal, state, and local partners. These crimes were committed by extremists using arson and incendiary devices to cause tremendous destruction and to endanger people's lives.

As the federal agency that investigates crimes involving arson and explosives, ATF conducted the investigation surrounding the origin and the cause of the various fires. We are pleased to have contributed to ATF's unique expertise of our certified fire investigators, our forensic laboratory analysts, our explosive enforcement officers, and our accelerant detection canines to these complex arson investigations.

ATF's laboratory in Walnut Creek, California was instrumental in processing and linking evidence from the crime scenes. These 17 separate criminal incidents occurred in five states, causing millions of dollars of damage. ATF and our partners aggressively pursued these cases and linked them together to bring these indictments announced today.

ATF will continue to work with the Department of Justice. We will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney's Offices for a successful prosecution. The indictments announced today clearly demonstrate what tenacious law enforcement can achieve when we work together, when we bring our varied expertise to the table, and when we effectively share information and when we effectively share intelligence.

Arson is an extremely complex and difficult crime to solve, but the message to any person or group that seeks to further its cause through crimes of violence is this. We will be relentless in finding you and bringing you to justice.

Thank you.

MR. GONZALES: Thank you, Carl. Okay, any questions?

QUESTION: Mr. Attorney General, how seriously should Americans take the threat from Osama Bin Laden?

MR. GONZALES: Well, Pierre, we, of course, have been very concerned about the threat of terrorism generally since the attacks of 9/11 and obviously, we expect the American people to live their lives as normally as possible, but those of us in government, particularly those of us in the law enforcement community, we clearly understand that we have a very real threat against the United States and the United States' interests here and abroad and that we ought to be doing everything that we can do to protect America against that threat.

QUESTION: On the same subject, what do you make of the timing of the release of the tape yesterday? Is there any link to the predator attack?

MR. GONZALES: I've got no comment to make with respect to the timing. Obviously, we're still evaluating the tape. There's still discussions within the Executive Branch about the tape, but I've got no other comment to make about the timing.

QUESTION: If I could ask Director Mueller a question, please?

MR. GONZALES: Yes, sure.

QUESTION: Mr. Mueller, can you elaborate for us about your concerns regarding the NSA surveillance program and whether they were the same concerns that the former Deputy Attorney General James Comey had?

MR. MUELLER: Let me say that what you're mentioning is a program. It's not an FBI program. You're talking about a legal analysis which is the purview of the Department of Justice and that's about all I can say on it at this point.

QUESTION: But Director, did you bring any of your concerns to the Attorney General and discuss them?

MR. MUELLER: As I think I just said, that the purview -- it's the purview of the Department of Justice to determine such issues, the legal analysis and the like, and it's a program that is highly classified and I can't say more about it. Thank you.

QUESTION: I have a question regarding Google and your request for data from Google and the other internet firms. They said that they felt that it was a privacy issue and they have denied that request. What is your response or your comments on that?

MR. GONZALES: Well, we're trying to gather up information to -- in order to help the enforcement of a federal law to ensure the protection, quite frankly, of our nation's children against pornography. There have been other internet service providers that have been forthcoming in sharing of information.

We're not asking for the identity of Americans. We simply want to have some subject matter information with respect to these communications. This is important for the Department of Justice and we continue -- we'll pursue this matter.

QUESTION: I have a question for Mr. Mueller if I could. Director Mueller, what's your analysis of whether Mr. Bin Laden still has command and control over Al-Qaida?

MR. MUELLER: I would go back to pointing out what has pointed out a number of times in the past. We have taken away the sanctuary of Afghanistan and we have arrested a number -- detained around the world a number of Al-Qaida leaders.

That has had, I would say, a substantial effect on the capabilities of communication, the capabilities of organization, but by the same token, you can not relax. We have the bombings in Bali, we have the bombings in Madrid and London. And consequently, the threat of a terrorist attack is with us everyday.

Since September 11th, we, the Department the Justice, our federal counterparts, our state and local counterparts understand the ongoing threat, regardless of what Bin Laden is doing day in and day out and we can not relax.

And so, to answer your question, regardless of what we have done to the organization, we have to assume that there are persons out there that want to attack us. And as I said, since September 11th, we have worked together to develop the joint terrorism task forces, intelligence groups, working together with state and local law enforcement to track down every lead to assure that we can prevent any contemplated terrorist attack.

MR. GONZALES: Any other questions?

QUESTION: Do you have any Patriot Act involvement in this investigation, by any chance?

MR. GONZALES: Any Patriot Act involvement in the investigation; I'm glad you raised that, obviously. We know from the tapes yesterday that -- or reaffirmation, confirmation of the fact that we do have a threat that I spoke about.

And therefore, the tools that we've utilized to make America safe and to keep America safe during these past four years, we need to continue to have those tools available. And a very important part of that, of course, is the authorities that have been provided to the Department of Justice under the USA Patriot Act and we're obviously hopeful that those provisions will be reauthorized.

And let me make one -- let me address one point with respect to the question to the Director about discussions that may have occurred regarding a program. And this is not -- I must speak generally.

This is an observation about stories in the media that I've seen written about possible disagreement or dissention within the Executive Branch about a particular topic, as if somehow, that's a bad thing or somehow, evidence is that somehow, the Executive Branch is engaged in conduct that it shouldn't be.

I think the American people expect us to tackle tough issues, which we do. They're complicated issues. We have some very smart people, very dedicated people that work throughout this government and we want their views. We solicit their input. Sometimes, there's not total agreement, but in the end, a decision has to be made and a decision is always made in terms of, what is in the best interests of the American people, and always in a way that the actions taken by the Executive Branch are fully lawful and consistent with our obligations under the Constitution.

MR. GONZALES: Yes, ma'am.

QUESTION: On the environment and eco-groups, how big a blow is wrapping up these people that you've got indictments against - - how deep do you think the support goes for these kinds of acts?

MR. MUELLER: If you read the indictment and you see the listing of the actions that have taken place at the hands of this group over a period of time, you get some understanding of the impact of this investigation and this indictment. In terms of identifying and arresting those who were principly responsible for something like 17 -- over 15, as the Attorney General pointed out, acts over the last few years in this arena. So, I think it's fair to say it was a substantial blow.

QUESTION: Is there any concern that these groups are contemplating the kinds of attacks that they're willing to commit -- the case last week out of Sacramento talked about actually blowing up a federal building. Is there any concern that these groups are escalating?

MR. MUELLER: I wouldn't say that there's concern that there is escalation. We had another arrest last week of a group that was contemplating similar acts, but if you look at what has been accomplished in the course of this investigation, as well as the investigation last week, we've had a dramatic impact on persons who contemplate these crimes.

If you look back over the last three or four years and you add up the number of prosecutions, the number of investigations that have led to prosecutions, and the substantial sentences that have been handed down to persons who conduct this kind of activity, there is a substantial deterrence out there.

Persons who conduct this type of activity are going to spend a long time in jail and they should understand that, regardless of the motive.

Thank you.

MR. GONZALES: Thank you very much.

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/© 2006 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/

When discussing potential informants it is also wise to remember another FBI tactic, called giving someone a "snitch jacket", where a rumor or false evidence is introduced to other activists causing them to believe that an activist is a police informant, when in reality they are not. Classify this under COINTELPRO divide and conquer tactics.

There are also infiltrators and informants, though not everyone accussed of being an informant actually is. Deceit and confusion are tools of the CIA/FBI, and they do cause activists many headaches, though we need to remind ourselves of previous mistakes and learn from them..

The tragedy that befell Anna Mae Aquash should be a good reminder of falling for the "snitch jacket" tactic of FBI..

http://www.counterpunch.org/donnelly01172006.html

"It was just months earlier at the New Mexico convention that Theda Clark had laid the "snitch jacket" on Aquash. (A Snitch Jacket is when an agent makes claims or plants information that suggests an activist is a police informer.)

Leonard Peltier has distanced himself with Graham, after first vehemently supporting him. Peltier even once filed libel lawsuits against an Indian publication over it. Upon Graham's arrest, Peltier wrote: "I fear that John Boy will not receive a fair trial in the US anymore than I did. I must remind you, it is court record that the FBI lied to extradite me back to the US. I know that their behavior hasn't changed just as I know that Anna Mae was not an informant. As much as I want justice for Anna Mae, I likewise do not want an injustice to be enacted against one of our own in the name of crime-solving--so that some finger-pointing government lackey can get a feather in his cap."
"

Notes from Russell Means;

http://www.russellmeans.com/russell.html

"I have believed for many years that Vernon Bellecourt has been compromised by the federal government, and has been an active agent for the FBI, or some other federal police agency. I believe that Anna Mae Aquash knew the details of Vernon's complicity with the feds and was about to expose him. He then put what is known as a "snitch jacket" on Anna Mae. At the AIM take over of the Fairchild Plant on the Navojo reservation in NM, in June 1975, Vernon ordered Leonard Peltier, Bob Robideau and Dino Butler to take Anna Mae out and interrogate her about being an informant. According to Robideau, Vernon said that if they felt that she was an informant, "they should bury her right there." Peltier, Robideau and Butler all knew Anna Mae very well, and did not believe she was an informer, so they took no action. This action, however, reveals Vernon's predisposition against Anna Mae, and his willingness to take the most extreme measures against her. A review of Vernon's actions within AIM show him to be at the root of every major dispute within the leadership of AIM, he has never been put on trial as other AIM leaders have been, he has disrupted and tried to destroy the most effective AIM chapters in the US, and he is always the first one to spread the allegations that others are "informers" or "provocateurs," As the saying goes, "the guilty dog barks first," and I certainly believe that he is the guilty dog. I also believe that a trial on the question of who killed Anna Mae will reveal Vernon's relationship to U.S. police agencies."

Sad world we live in .

How is this a witch hunt?