OPERATION BACKFIRE Help Find Four Eco-Terrorists

We need your help in locating these four fugitives. Click on their names or photographs to see their wanted posters.

It has been 10 years since a group known as “The Family” torched a ski resort in Vail, Colorado, causing $26 million in damage and drawing international attention to eco-terrorists—those who break the law in the name of the environment and animal rights.

Since that time, we’ve joined our federal, local, and state law enforcement partners in establishing Operation Backfire to bring these criminals to justice.

Our efforts have been successful, but four individuals under indictment remain at large. At a press conference in Washington today, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced an increase in the reward for the capture of these four fugitives and released the latest information we have about where they might be.

“These individuals are terrorists. Regardless of their political or social message, their actions were criminal and violated federal laws,” said Michael B. Ward, Deputy Assistant Director of our Counterterrorism Division. “The FBI has remained steadfast in the search for these individuals.”

We are offering a reward of up to $50,000 each for information leading to the arrest of Joseph Dibee, Josephine Overaker, Rebecca Rubin, and Justin Solondz, all believed to be living abroad.

Dibee was indicted in 2006 on charges of arson, conspiracy, and animal enterprise terrorism. He is believed to be living in Syria with family members.

Overaker has been on the run since 2001. She was indicted in 2004, with subsequent indictments in 2006, including for her involvement with the 1998 Vail arson. She is believed to have spent time in Germany and may have settled in Spain. She speaks fluent Spanish.

Rubin was indicted in 2006 for the Vail arson and other domestic terrorism crimes. A Canadian citizen, she has strong family ties to Canada and may be living there.

Solondz was also indicted in 2006 on charges that include arson, conspiracy, and animal enterprise terrorism. He was out of the country when he was indicted and has never returned. Solondz has traveled in Russia, China, and India.

The Family was a terrorist cell of about 20 people who committed crimes in the Pacific Northwest and Western U.S. in the name of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). By the time it disbanded in 2001 under pressure from our investigations, the group was responsible for at least 25 criminal actions totaling about $48 million in damages. Their crimes included vandalism, property damage, animal releases, and arson.

Because the crimes were acts of domestic terrorism, we took the lead in the investigations, working closely with our local, state, and federal law enforcement counterparts. In 2004, separate investigations were condensed into Major Case #220, otherwise known as Operation Backfire."

trivia:

Speaking of ELF:

Craig Rosebraugh and Leslie James Pickering - Founders Arissa- former ELF media spokesmen

What’s Arissa?

New Arissa Link [http://www.arissa.org/main.html]
About Arissa - Excerpts: The primary goal of Arissa is to create a political and social revolution in the United States of America. We believe that none of the single-issue problems - whether in the human, environmental, or animal categories - can be resolved until a political structure is put into place to allow for an atmosphere of change. Arissa will have reached its goal when that revolution occurs.
Our Arissa Media Services Department was formed in late 2003 to provide necessary media relations for those conducting revolutionary actions in the United States.

SAFIYA BUKHARI- Black Panther / Arissa conference speaker died in August ‘03

Laura Whitehorn-Institute for Democratic Action and Culture-Speak Out- SDS and Weather Underground, communist, terrorist / Arissa conference speaker

2008 : ( “CODE PINK FOR PEACE” COFOUNDER JODIE EVANS WORKS AS A BUNDLER FOR THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN — see RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK) A founding member of the [2008] campaign finance team of Democratic presidential nominee Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has been working with state sponsors of terrorism to undermine the United States in the global war on terror since at least February, 2003. Jodie Evans, co-founder of the leftist anti-American group Code Pink, has documented ties to governments on the State Department’s list of current and former state sponsors of terrorism including Iran, Cuba, Syria and the former Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein. She also has endorsed and worked with the so-called Iraqi resistance that has killed over three thousand American soldiers and thousands of free Iraqis. Evans is listed on the official Obama website as a bundler of between $50,000 and $100,000 in contributions. According to FEC reports, the official Obama website and news accounts, Evans has personally contributed over $40,000 to the Obama campaign—$4600 to Obama for America and around $36,000 to the Obama Victory Fund. -—————— “TOP OBAMA CAMPAIGN FINANCIER WORKING WITH STATE SPONSORS OF TERRORISM TO UNDERMINE U.S.,” FREEREPUBLIC,
by Kristinn Taylor, Friday, October 10, 2008

UPDATE:

Note: Photos and more links at article site.

NOTE The following text is a quote:

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2012/march/eco-terrorist_032012/eco-terrorist_032012

Eco-Terrorist Sentenced
Help Us Find Remaining Operation Backfire Fugitives

03/20/12

After he was indicted in 2006 for firebombing a University of Washington research facility, Justin Solondz became an international fugitive, beginning an odyssey that would land him in a Chinese jail—and finally before a federal judge in Seattle, who sentenced him last week to seven years in prison.

Solondz, 32, was a member of an eco-terrorist cell known as “The Family,” which committed an estimated $48 million worth of arson and vandalism across the Pacific Northwest and western U.S. between 1996 and 2001 under the names of the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front.

Help Us Find Fugitives

If you have any information on the three fugitives from The Family, Josephine Overaker, Joseph Dibee, and Rebecca Rubin, please contact us in one the following ways:

- Local FBI field offices
- Oversees FBI offices
- Electronic tips and public leads form

Three members of The Family are still on the run, and there is a reward for information leading to their arrest.

The cell’s most notorious crime was the 1998 arson of a Vail, Colorado ski resort that caused $26 million in damages and drew international attention to eco-terrorists—those who break the law in misguided and malicious attempts to protect the environment and animal rights. We took the lead in the Vail investigation, working closely with our local, state, and federal law enforcement counterparts. In 2004, multiple eco-terror investigations were condensed into Operation Backfire.

We need your help to bring the three remaining fugitives from The Family to justice. A reward of up to $50,000 each is being offered for information leading to the arrest of Joseph Dibee, Josephine Overaker, and Rebecca Rubin, all believed to be living abroad.

Here is what we know about the trio:

Dibee was indicted in 2006 on charges of arson, conspiracy, and animal enterprise terrorism. He is believed to be living in Syria with family members.
Overaker was indicted in 2004 and 2006 for her involvement with the 1998 Vail arson and other crimes. She is believed to have spent time in Germany and may have settled in Spain. She speaks fluent Spanish.

Rubin was indicted in 2006 for the Vail arson and other acts of domestic terrorism. A Canadian citizen, she has strong family ties to Canada and may be living there.

Investigators identified Solondz as a member of The Family in the spring of 2006, said Special Agent Ted Halla in our Seattle office. “He was traveling overseas, and we started tracking him through Europe to Russia, Mongolia, and then China. He realized we were after him,” Halla said. “He liquidated his bank accounts and tried to hide his tracks online. By the summer of 2006, he disappeared in China.”

The ski resort in Vail, Colorado before and after the arson.

Working through our legal attaché office in Beijing, we learned that Solondz had been arrested in China for manufacturing drugs and sentenced to prison. He served nearly three years before the Chinese released him to our custody.

As part of his plea, Solondz admitted building the firebomb that was planted in the office of a University of Washington horticultural researcher. He and The Family mistakenly believed the researcher was genetically altering trees. The fire ruined the researcher’s work along with the work of dozens of other students and researchers.

“The Solondz case has been a long process,” Halla said. “When you are after someone for that many years, it’s a big relief to see the individual finally brought to justice.”

Resources:
- Press release
- Operation Backfire story

NOTE The following text SNIPPET is a quote:

www.fbi.gov/seattle/press-releases/2012/last-defendant-arrested-in-uw-horticulture-center-arson-sentenced-to-prison

Last Defendant Arrested in UW Horticulture Center Arson Sentenced to Prison
Student Who Built Fire Bomb, Drove Getaway Car Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison

U.S. Attorney’s Office
March 16, 2012

Western District of Washington

The last participant arrested in the 2001 arson of the University of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. JUSTIN SOLONDZ, 32, pleaded guilty last December to conspiracy and arson. At sentencing U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton said, “People who have deep passions about political events sometimes permit themselves to view themselves as above the law.... One of the things that bind us as a civilized people is adherence to the rule of law.... It is the only code that binds civilized people together .... You have attacked that belief and that system.”

“This defendant destroyed a public building, derailed the careers of dedicated UW students and faculty members, and put firefighters and others at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. “The victims of this crime paid a heavy price, and now it is time for Mr. Solondz to pay his debt and be held accountable.”

In his plea agreement, SOLONDZ admits he built the firebombs in a “clean room” behind an Olympia residence, transported them to Seattle, and remained in the car as a getaway driver during the arson. The plea agreement details how SOLONDZ left the country in 2005, and, when he learned of arrests in the arson case, decided to stay abroad, traveling under a false name. In early 2009, SOLONDZ was arrested by Chinese authorities for manufacturing drugs. He was returned to the United States in July 2011, in the custody of the FBI.

In their request for the seven-year sentence, prosecutors describe how the fire impacted many lives. “The scars from that night, however, have not fully healed. Solondz’ actions caused over six million dollars in damage, as the entire building had to be scrapped and rebuilt. Solondz’ actions placed the lives of firefighters at risk, as they struggled to contain the towering inferno that had engulfed the building. And they had the potential to put other persons at risk as well....Solondz’ actions also dealt enormous setbacks to countless professors, researchers, and students, who saw years of hard work and research go up in flames. They destroyed a significant portion of an extensive library, which contained many rare texts and original research materials that could not be replaced. And they terrorized the occupants of the building and members of their families, many of who suffered long-lasting emotional impact from the arson,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.

The UW fire bombing was part of a string of 17 arsons across the west by the radical groups the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). The arson spree caused tens of millions of dollars in damage. In all, 15 people have been convicted of crimes related to a string of fires across the western United States investigated under “Operation Backfire.” All those connected with the UW arson have been ordered to share in restitution to the University of Washington and the State of Washington totaling $6,092,649.

In addition to the defendants who have been convicted, the leader of the arson cell, and the fifth participant in the UW Center for Urban Horticulture arson, William C. Rodgers, 40, of Prescott, Arizona, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Seattle in connection with the case. However, Rodgers committed suicide in December 2005, while being held in the Coconino County Jail in Prescott, Arizona.

This case is the result of a 10-year investigation by law enforcement. The Seattle Fire Department battled the blaze. Participating in the extensive investigation were the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the Eugene Police Department, the Oregon State Police, the University of Washington Police Department, and other state and federal law enforcement agencies.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew Friedman and Thomas Woods.

NOTE The following text is a quote:

www.fbi.gov/denver/press-releases/2012/canadian-fugitive-surrenders-at-border-in-nations-largest-eco-terrorism-case

Canadian Fugitive Surrenders at Border in Nation’s Largest Eco-Terrorism Case

Fugitive Remains in Custody and Will Return to Face Trial in Oregon
U.S. Attorney’s Office

November 29, 2012

District of Oregon

PORTLAND, OR—Today, Rebecca Jeanette Rubin, age 39, a Canadian citizen, surrendered herself into FBI custody at the international border in Blaine, Washington, to face federal arson, destructive device, and conspiracy charges in Oregon, Colorado, and California. Rubin’s arrest marks the end of her decade-long period as an international fugitive in the largest eco-terrorism case in United States history. After an appearance in U.S. District Court in Seattle, Rubin will be transferred in custody to Oregon to face trial.

Rubin is charged in Oregon with being part of a conspiracy with 12 other people involving 20 acts of arson, spanning five years (1996-2001) and five Western states, committed by self-proclaimed members of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). According to the indictment, the group sought to influence and affect the conduct of government, private business, and the civilian population through force, violence, sabotage, mass destruction, intimidation, and coercion, and to retaliate against government and private businesses by similar means.

Rubin’s Oregon charges include her participation in the November 30, 1997 arson at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Facility in Harney County near Burns, and the December 22, 1998, attempted arson at the offices of U.S. Forest Industries Inc. in Medford.

A Colorado federal indictment charges Rubin with eight counts of arson in the October 19, 1998, fires that destroyed Two Elk Lodge and other buildings at the Vail ski area in Eagle County, Colorado.

An indictment in the Eastern District of California charges Rubin with conspiracy, arson, and using a destructive device in the October 15, 2001 fire at the BLM Litchfield Wild Horse and Burro Corrals near Susanville, California.

In August 2007, 10 other defendants in the case received prison terms ranging from 156 months to 37 months after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court in Eugene to conspiracy and multiple counts of arson. Two other defendants, Joseph Mahmoud Dibee and Josephine Sunshine Overaker, remain at large as international fugitives.

Each count of arson and attempted arson carries a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison, up to a maximum of 20 years. Use of a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of 30 years in prison. Conspiracy carries a maximum sentence of five years. Each count in the three indictments carries a potential fine of up to $250,000.

The ELF/ALF conspiracy case (Operation Backfire) was jointly investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the Oregon State Police; the Oregon Department of Justice; the U.S. Bureau of Land Management; the U.S. Forest Service; the Eugene Police Department and the Lane County Sheriff’s Office.

The case is being prosecuted in Oregon by Assistant United States Attorney Stephen F. Peifer.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.