FBI Says San Diego Blaze Likely 'Domestic Terror' (ELF)

[kainah]

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Up to 100 investigators have been assigned to probe a San Diego construction-site blaze that authorities on Saturday called a potential case of "domestic terrorism" by a radical environmental group.

The three-alarm fire, which leveled a 200-unit condominium complex that was under construction, caused at least $20 million in damage after it broke out shortly before dawn on Friday. A 12-foot hand-painted banner found on the scene suggested members of the Earth Liberation Front, a network of environmental groups that has claimed responsibility for other fires, had set the blaze.


"It does look as we progress on (with the investigation) that the E.L.F. has taken responsibility," said Jan Caldwell, a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in San Diego. "That does put it in the arena of domestic terrorism."


On Saturday, the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper reported it had received an e-mail from the E.L.F. claiming responsibility. The banner found at the site read: "If you build it -- we will burn it -- the E.L.F.'s are mad."


The condo development was in a once-scenic canyon about five miles from downtown San Diego that has been developed over the past decade.

more.......

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=10&u=/nm/20030802/ts_nm/environment_fire_dc

[Rose Siding]

1. The crime formerly known as

arson.

[arissa]

2. Yes, arson is suddenly terrorism

if it's got environmental links... but if you burn down an abortion clinic or shoot doctors, that's clearly not terrorism. :eyes:

[kainah]

3. a real honest LOL

for that one, party_line. And, believe me, the real honest LOL's are hard to come by these days. Thanks!!!!

[Tom Kitten]

4. Eco-terrorism

No one dies, only capitalistic enterprises suffer financially, therefore it's terrorism...Despite movies like 12 Monkeys and 28 Days Later I won't call them terrorists until they start killing innocent people...If depriving people of jobs is a basis for being called "terrorist" then look at our current regime, besides they kill people without impunity.

[private_ryan]

12. if you owned the building

hwo would you feel? personally I don't buy that "capitalist" bullsh*t, I'm just pissed I dont' have that kind of money.

I hope the arrest them and lock away for life.

[Maple]

5. Funny

two weeks ago they were warning everyone Al Qaeda was going to start forest fires, remember?

[Gman]

6. Tim McVeigh was never called a right wing terrorist by the FBI

but the ELF is a terrorist organization.

Such is life when you live in a country that has had the government overthrown by the right wing..

[no_arbusto]

7. Sounds like....

insurance fraud. I guess the housing market bubble has burst after all.

[pfitz59]

10. Lack of greenspace.

San Diego is wedged between desert and ocean. Not much open space left. Reich wing developers have been sundering what little scenic land is left. Native species and habitat are going bye-bye. Last strip of undeveloped coastal land between Malibu and SD is Camp Pendelton. Environmentalists are fighting tooth and nail for the remnants. Seems some extremists have raised the stakes. Housing market in SD is healthy. ("Go southwest, old man......")

[no_arbusto]

11. Despite my avatar

I'm currently a resident of Riverside County, California so I'm well aware of the housing situation out here. My degree is geography/planning so I'm also well aware of urban sprawl and its opponents (I'm one). After a recent discussion with a friend in real estate I've gotten the impression that the housing market is drying up. Who is buying new homes when there are no new jobs? Interest rates are going up. I'm sorry, I just don't believe in the ELFs. Or Santa Claus for that matter.

[short bus president]

8. so lemme get this straight

ELF - "domestic terror group"
Jose Padilla - "dirty bomber"
Stephen Hatfill - "person of interest"
Officer Jeremy Morse - "responsible peace officer"
Eric Rudolph - "good Christian man"

What logical disconnect? I don't see any disconnect. Quit saying that. Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!!!

[matt819]

9. To paraphrase Groucho Marx, or maybe Sigmund Freud. . .

sometimes a fire is just a fire.

[xchrom]

13. don't buy the propaganda

elfs are hyped up -- and i have doubts about some of the fires credited to them.

[salin]

14. I think the tactics are pretty counterproductive...

We had a number of ELF incidents in our community. At one point an item was in the local paper looking at what happens after these attacks - they considered several different big incidents (including an 'attack' (fire?) in a Colorado resort community (was it Vale? Aspen?)... The pattern is that the actions are often against development, in a place where the community itself is split over the issue of development. In the aftermath of the attacks the sympathy in the community tends to move towards the property owners ... and there becomes less resistance to the policies and development efforts. I believe the article then looked at how much had been spent (or planned to be spent) on the project targeted/demolished by attack compared to how much money was spent afterwards in rebuilding. In the incidents cited - in each case MORE money and MORE development ensued.

Appears to be a very counterproductive means of achieving anything except a temporary setback to development. And one that appears to often spur MORE development (having a direct opposite result than was desired by the attackers/arsonists).

[haele]

16. What better way to sidetrack the insurance companies and stakeholders -

Than paying a few people to pretend they're ELF members when your project is experiancing severe cost and planning over-runs and you want to get out of the contract?

BTW, this fire was 4 blocks away from my office. Developers in the Golden Triangle area (where this fire occured) of UTC/La Jolla have been experiancing increased fees for quality building materials and increased penalties for environmental issues and cost/time overruns lately - not to mention the fact that many smaller businesses have been leaving because they can't afford the rentals for these impressive designer office complexes anymore. As for all the high-priced Upper Middle Class/Professional planned condo communities in the area; sheesh - I've seen a lot of "for sale" and "for rent" signs and ads popping up.

UTC was developed as an expanding business hub linked to both the military and UCSD technology and bio-sciences advancements back in the 1970's - an open space option to crowded downtown San Diego business space - and it's just starting to become hard hit due to shrub's small-medium sized business economic breakdown and job flight.

On edit - one of the reasons development in this area is so high is that a major fault runs right through the middle of the area and that the land is considered to be in a brush-fire and landslide zone; insurance and code fees for developments in such areas have gone throught the roof in the past two years.


Haele

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

15. WCTV Says San Diego Blaze Likely 'Insurance Scam'

No, it was the environmental terrorists! Now give me my insurance check!