The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) Attacks the University of Iowa.

Iowa City, Ia. - A radical animal-rights group on Thursday claimed responsibility for vandalism in a University of Iowa animal research lab the group called "UI's chamber of hell."

The message, sent early Thursday from the Animal Liberation Front, a United Kingdom-based organization, takes credit for removing more than 400 animals from the Spence Laboratories, pouring acid on research documents, and destroying computers. Most of the animals taken were laboratory rats and mice.

Damage was also done to Seashore Hall.

"This raid was carried out to halt the barbaric research of the UI Psychology Department's 7 primary animal researchers," the group states in the e-mail message sent to Iowa media outlets. The message, which accuses researchers of inhumane treatment of animals and lists researchers' addresses, home phone numbers and spouses' names, hit raw nerves at the university.

"People are pretty freaked out," said Lee Anna Clark, associate provost.

U of I President David Skorton said in a message to faculty, students and staff that the activists' message was an attempt to intimidate faculty and researchers. "We will not be bullied," Skorton said.

The vandalism occurred late Saturday or early Sunday and was concentrated in animal research labs used primarily by the psychology department. University officials estimate the vandals caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage. . .

"Terrorism is not going to stop us from getting back to work," said Mark Blumberg, a psychology professor and researcher who was named in the ALF e-mail.

University officials said ALF's claims, which include accusations that faculty smuggle narcotics from research for their own personal use, are false and misrepresent animal research. . . .

The activists claimed in their message that they bypassed the U of I's key-card access and other security systems to enter the locked Spence laboratories. The group states they found rats subjected to stress and thirst experiments as well as some with "oozing wounds" and "grotesque head implants."

The activists' message said animals were "placed in comfortable, loving homes."

Tom Colvin, executive director of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, said he would like to know how the activists found homes for hundreds of rodents. "We've got an awful lot of animals other than dogs and cats we can't find homes for," he said.

The FBI continues to investigate the vandalism, which caused significant setbacks for psychology researchers. . . .

Federal prosecutors say animal-rights activists - when caught - are tough to prosecute.

"These kind of cases are fairly rare because investigating them is hard," said Matthew Whitaker, U.S. attorney for Iowa's southern district. Activists "are very stealthy about what they do."

ALF, a loosely knit organization that serves as an umbrella for many radical groups, has taken credit for releasing animals - mostly minks - from Iowa farms several times in the past 10 years.