They probably left a trail of petty crime where ever they went like shop lifting,gas drive aways, etc....
FBI document says group's missions plagued by errors
Even as the Earth Liberation Front - a shadowy group of eco-terrorists that took credit for the Vail fires of 1998 - has eluded authorities for years, newly released evidence suggests some of the group's efforts have been plagued by almost slapstick gaffes.
In one case, members driving on a mission to burn down a federal research facility in western Washington stopped along the way to shoplift some needed supplies from a big box hardware store.
The plan was interrupted when one of the members was arrested for stealing sponges and a flashlight.
Most of the document is dominated by a narrative tracing events leading to three arsons, and includes a notable parade of errors...
• ELF members planned two arsons at the same time - both at federal facilities in Olympia, Wash., on June 21, 1998.
But after one member was arrested for shoplifting, the remaining members tried to call off both actions. But they couldn't contact another member involved in the second arson, and from whom they were supposed to obtain timers and incendiary devices.
• The same team of ELF members...They fixed the vehicle temporarily, then parked it.
After the arson, two members...left the van at an automotive repair shop in Washington state and hitchhiked back to Eugene.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4334209,00.html
Well, let's not forget Rodney Coronado and what group paid his legal expenses.
I honestly think there is a lot more to this story.