Eleven
people were indicted in a series of arsons — including
the 1998 fires at the Vail ski resort — claimed by the
radical groups Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation
Front, in five Western states, according to the U.S. Justice
Department.
The
65-count indictment says the suspects are responsible
for 17 incidents in Colorado , Wyoming , Washington ,
Oregon and California in vandalism that dates to
1996. In all, eight defendants were arrested. Three people
remain at large, and are believed to be outside the United
States , according to the government.
The
arrests could begin to close the book on one of Colorado
's enduring mysteries. At the time, the Vail firebombing
was considered the costliest act of eco-terrorism in the
country, causing $12 million in damage, destroying the
Two Elk Lodge, a mountaintop restaurant, among other structures.
The
arson came after environmentalists lost a battle to block
the ski area from expanding into an area activists considered
vital habitat for lynx. The expansion was completed and
the lodge rebuilt.
"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," says Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales.
Appearing
with Gonzales, FBI director Robert Mueller declared, "Terrorism
is terrorism, no matter what the motive. There is a clear
difference between constitutionally protected advocacy
... and violent criminal activity."
Rocky
Mountain News
