U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation

2001

T

2000

ERRORISM
FBI PUBLICATION #0308
2000/2001

TERRRISM

i

FORWARD

EXPANDING FOCUS

As the events of September 11, 2001, demonstrated with brutal clarity, the terrorist threats facing the United States are formidable. Between 1991 and 2001, 74

terrorist incidents were recorded in the United States. During this same time

frame, an additional 62 terrorist acts being plotted in the United States were prevented by U.S. law enforcement. As troubling as these statistics are, they only

hint at the full scope of the terrorist threat confronting U.S. interests. For every

successful terrorist attack mounted in the United States, nearly 20 (19.83) antiU.S. attacks are carried out around the world. Between 1996 and 2001, these

overseas attacks killed 75 Americans and wounded an additional 606. 

During the past two decades, the U.S. Government has expanded the FBI’s

authority to investigate terrorist activities against U.S. interests overseas.

Specifically, the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984, the Omnibus Diplomatic

Security and Antiterrorist Act of 1986, the Antiterrorism and

Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, and Presidential Decision

Directive 39 have served to extend FBI investigative authority

beyond U.S. borders when U.S. interests are harmed or

threatened. Since 1984 the FBI has carried out over 300

extraterritorial investigations, in close cooperation with the

U.S. Department of State and with the assistance of host

governments. These investigations include some of the FBI’s

most complex and high-profile cases, including investigations

into the September 11 attacks, as well as the bombings of

Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia in 1996, two U.S. embassies

in East Africa in 1998, and the USS Cole in the Yemenese

port of Aden in October 2000. The growing internationalization of crime, including the crime of terrorism, has led the FBI to expand its international presence.

By the year 2001, the FBI had legal attache (LEGAT) offices in 44 countries

around the world. At the same time, the increasing scope of terrorist threats--

from bombing plots of domestic and international extremists to threats involving

weapons of mass destruction to the growing menace of computer intrusion crime

and threat of cyberterrorism--led the FBI, in November 1999, to create the

Counterterrorism Division to help focus its operational capabilities upon the full

range of activities in which violent extremists engage. The Counterterrorism

Division works closely with other FBI components and with other agencies to

counter current and emerging terrorist threats. 

Since the mid-1980s, the FBI has published Terrorism in the United States, an

unclassified annual report summarizing terrorist activities in this country. While

this publication provided a good overview of the terrorist threat in the United

States, its limited scope proved not conducive to conveying either the breadth

and width of the terrorist threat facing U.S. interests or the scale of the FBI’s

TERRORISM

2000/2001
ii

response to international terrorism worldwide. To better reflect the nature of the

threat and the scope of our response, the FBI is, therefore, expanding the focus of

its annual terrorism report. Terrorism provides an overview of terrorist incidents

and preventions taking place in the United Sates and its territories, just as

Terrorism in the United States did. In addition, however, Terrorism discusses FBI

investigations overseas, and thus provides a more comprehensive picture of the

totality of the FBI’s response to international terrorism. While this expanded focus

is intended to provide a more complete overview of FBI terrorism investigations

into acts involving U.S. interests around the world, Terrorism is not intended as a

comprehensive annual review of worldwide terrorist activity. For such a comprehensive overview of global terrorism issues, see the report Patterns of Global

Terrorism, published annually by the U.S. Department of State. 

This inaugural issue of Terrorism provides annual overviews for the years 2000 and

2001. The FBI hopes you find Terrorism 2000/2001 to be a helpful resource, and

thanks you for your interest in the FBI’s Counterterrorism Program. A full-text

and graphics version of this issue, as well as recent back issues of Terrorism in the

United States, is available for on-line reference at the FBI’s home page at

www.fbi.gov. 

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Counterterrorism Division
iii

● Domestic terrorism investigations are conducted in accordance with The Attorney

General's Guidelines on General Crimes, Racketeering Enterprise, and Domestic

Security/Terrorism Investigations. These guidelines set forth the predication threshold and limits for investigations of U.S. persons who reside in the United States,

who are not acting on behalf of a foreign power, and who may be conducting criminal activities in support of terrorist objectives.

● International terrorism investigations are conducted in accordance with The Attorney General

Guidelines for FBI Foreign Intelligence Collection and

Foreign Counterintelligence Investigations. These

guidelines set forth the predication level and limits

for investigating U.S. persons or foreign nationals in

the United States who are targeting national security

interests on behalf of a foreign power. 

Although various Executive Orders, Presidential

Decision Directives, and congressional statutes

address the issue of terrorism, there is no single federal law specifically making terrorism a crime. Terrorists are arrested and convicted under existing criminal

statutes. All suspected terrorists placed under arrest are provided access to legal

counsel and normal judicial procedure, including Fifth Amendment guarantees.

DEFINITIONS

There is no single, universally accepted definition of terrorism. Terrorism is defined

in the Code of Federal Regulations as “...the unlawful use of force and violence

against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” 

(28 C.F.R. Section 0.85)

FBI POLICY

AND

GUIDELINES

n accordance with U.S. counterterrorism policy, the

FBI considers terrorists to be criminals. FBI efforts 

in countering terrorist threats are multifaceted.

Information obtained through FBI investigations is 

analyzed and used to prevent terrorist activity and,

whenever possible, to effect the arrest and prosecution

of potential perpetrators. FBI investigations are initiated

in accordance with the following guidelines:

I
The FBI further describes terrorism as either domestic or international, depending

on the origin, base, and objectives of the terrorist organization. For the purpose of

this report, the FBI uses the following definitions of terrorism: 

● Domestic terrorism refers to activities that involve acts dangerous to human life

that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state; appear

to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; to influence the policy

of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States. [18 U.S.C. § 2331(5)]

● International terrorism involves violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that

are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any state, or that would

be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or

any state. These acts appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or affect

the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping and

occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United States or transcend

national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their perpetrators operate or seek asylum. [18 U.S.C. § 2331(1)]

THE FBI DIVIDES TERRORIST-RELATED ACTIVITY INTO TWO CATEGORIES:

● A terrorist incident is a violent act or an act dangerous to human life, in violation

of the criminal laws of the United States, or of any state, to intimidate or coerce a

government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.

● A terrorism prevention is

a documented instance in

which a violent act by a

known or suspected terrorist group or individual with

the means and a proven

propensity for violence is

successfully interdicted

through investigative 

activity.

Cover: Firefighters and military personnel drape 

an American flag over the Pentagon after the

September 11 attack.

NOTE

The FBI investigates terrorism-related matters

without regard to race, religion, national origin,

or gender. Reference to individual members of

any political, ethnic, or religious group in this

report is not meant to imply that all members

of that group are terrorists. Terrorists represent

a small criminal minority in any larger social

context.

iv
v

TABLE of

CONTENTS

1 TERRORISM 2000/2001

2 2000 IN REVIEW

2 TERRORIST INCIDENTS

5 TERRORISM PREVENTIONS

5 SIGNIFICANT EVENTS

9 2001 IN REVIEW

10 TERRORIST INCIDENTS 

18 TERRORISM PREVENTIONS

19 SIGNIFICANT EVENTS

26 IN FOCUS

26 TRENDS IN ANIMAL RIGHTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL 

EXTREMISM

30 THE USA PATRIOT ACT 

33 CONCLUSION

35 APPENDICES
TERRORISM 2000/2001

1

ndeterred by its thwarted efforts to target U.S. and other interests in late

1999 during the millennial time frame, the Al-Qaeda terrorist network

carried out two separate attacks against the United States in 2000 and

2001. The first of these, a suicide bombing of the U.S. naval destroyer

USS Cole in the Yemenese port of Aden on October 12, 2000, claimed

the lives of 17 U.S. sailors. The second, a coordinated suicide attack using four

hijacked U.S. commercial aircraft as missiles on September 11, 2001, resulted in

the deaths of 2,783 innocent people. The September 11 attack represents the most

deadly and destructive terrorist attack in history and claimed more lives than all

previous acts of terrorism in the United States combined. The attack of September

11 represented the first successful act of international terrorism carried out in the

United States since the bombing of the World Trade Center in February 1993.

In response to the September 11 attack, the FBI launched the largest terrorism

investigation ever conducted, working in close cooperation with other U.S. and

foreign intelligence agencies. On October 7, 2001, the United States initiated military action against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which had provided safehaven to Al-Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden and his followers since 1996. By year’s

end, U.S. forces were working with anti-Taliban Afghan fighters to target Al-Qaeda

training camps in Afghanistan.

Domestic terrorist groups continued to plan and

commit terrorist activity in 2000 and 2001. In

keeping with a longstanding trend, in fact, domestic extremists carried out the majority of terrorist

incidents in both years. 

This inaugural edition of Terrorism highlights significant terrorism-related events occurring in the

United States, as well as selected FBI investigative

efforts overseas. Additionally, this report provides

a wide range of statistical data relating to terrorism

in the United States during the past two decades.

This material is presented to provide readers with a

historical framework for the examination of contemporary terrorism issues. 

TERRORISM

2000/2001

U
TERRORISM 2000/2001

2

All of the terrorist incidents that occurred in the United States during calendar

year 2000 were carried out by special interest terrorists, specifically animal rights

and environmental extremists. Three of the incidents have been attributed to the

Animal Liberation Front (ALF), an extremist animal rights movement that has carried out numerous terrorist attacks in the United States since 1987. Three incidents have been attributed to the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), an extremist environmental movement active in the United States during the past 20 years. An

additional incident, an arson fire in Olympia, Washington, was claimed by

a group calling itself Revenge of the Trees (ROTT) in a statement released

through the North American ELF Press Office. The remaining incident, a

series of arson fires in Phoenix, Arizona, has been attributed to Mark

Warren Sands, a lone environmental extremist who was arrested and

indicted in 2001.

No deaths or serious injuries resulted from terrorist activity carried out in

the United States in 2000.

The terrorist prevention recorded in 2000 was being planned by Mark

Wayne McCool, a right-wing, antigovernment extremist who was plotting

to attack the federal building in Houston, Texas, when he was arrested by

the Houston Joint Terrorism Task Force in March 2000.

TERRORIST INCIDENTS

JANUARY 3, 2000

Incendiary Attack

Petaluma, California

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

At approximately 1:00 a.m., on January 3, 2000, unknown suspects set

three separate fires on the grounds of the Rancho Veal Corporation in Petaluma,

California. Subsequent investigation determined that an accelerant, believed to be

diesel fuel, was used in the attack. The fires damaged office space, two trucks, and

an equipment storage facility, resulting in an estimated $150,000 in damages. On

March 16, 2000, the North American Animal Liberation Front Press Office

released a communique stating that a cell of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), a

terrorist animal rights movement, claimed responsibility for the fires. A similar act

of attempted arson had been claimed by the ALF against the Rancho Veal

Corporation in February 1997. 

The FBIrecorded eight terrorist incidents and one terrorist prevention in the United States and its

territories in 2000. Each of the eight terrorist

incidents was perpetrated by domestic terrorists. Likewise, the terrorist plot prevented by law enforcement was being planned by a domestic terrorist. No acts of

international terrorism were carried out in the United States in 2000. 

IN

REVIEW

2000
TERRORISM 2000/2001

3

JANUARY 15, 2000

Incendiary Attack

Petaluma, California

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

Early on the morning of January 15, 2000, 

a driver reporting for work at the Petaluma Farms

chicken and egg processing plant in Petaluma,

California, discovered fires in the cabs of two delivery

trucks. Subsequent investigation determined that the

fires had been deliberately set. A preliminary estimate of the damage was at $20,000. A search by fire

department personnel of remaining company vehicles

and the Petaluma Farms property uncovered 6 additional improvised incendiary devices which had

failed to ignite. The North American Animal

Liberation Front Press Office released an anonymous

communique on March 16, 2000, stating that an

Animal Liberation Front (ALF) cell had claimed

responsibility for the incendiary attack.

JANUARY 22, 2000

Destruction of Property by Arson

Bloomington, Indiana

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

Early on the morning of January 22, 2000,

firefighters responded to a fire at a residence under

construction in Bloomington, Indiana. The fire

caused an estimated $200,000 in damage, completely

destroying the residence. A spray-painted message,

“No sprawl ELF,” was left on a construction sign at

the site. Extremists affiliated with the Earth

Liberation Front (ELF), a terrorist environmental

movement, claimed responsibility for the fire two

days later.

MAY 7, 2000

Arson

Olympia, Washington

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

On May 7, 2000, an arson occurred at the

Olympia, Washington, headquarters of Holbrook,

Inc., a small timber company, causing an estimated

$150,000 in damage. In a statement released through

the North American Earth Liberation Front Press

Office, a group calling itself Revenge of the Trees

(ROTT) claimed responsibility for the act stating,

“ROTT takes credit for gutting this timber company... Logging is just one aspect in this capitalistic

industrialized system that is destroying all things wild.

We will not stop until this whole stinking system

rots.” 

JULY 2, 2000

Destruction of Property by Arson

North Vernon, Indiana

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

During the evening hours of July 2, 2000, a

truck and trailer were destroyed by fire at the Rose

Acre Farms, Inc., an egg-laying operation. Small

pieces of wood were placed in the wheel well of the

tractor and trailer and ignited with a flammable

accelerant, causing an estimated $100,000 in damage.

The words “polluter, animal exploiter, your turn to

pay” were spray-painted on the wall of the farm’s feed

mill. Below were the letters “ALF”; however, no official claim by the Animal Liberation Front has been

made. 

JULY 20, 2000

Vandalism and Destruction of Property

Rhinelander, Wisconsin

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

On July 20, 2000, the ELF destroyed more

than 500 trees and caused significant damage to

seven vehicles at the U.S. Forestry Science

● Arson at the Holbrook, Inc., timber company, carried 

out by Revenge of the Trees. 
TERRORISM 2000/2001

4

Laboratory in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. The message

“ELF is watching the U.S. Forest Service,” was spraypainted on U.S. Forest Service vehicles with green

and black paint. Etching creme was also spread on

the windshields of the vehicles. The attack caused

more than $1 million in damage and resulted in a

ten- to fifteen-year setback in the laboratory’s

research. Self-proclaimed ELF spokesperson Craig

Rosebraugh claimed responsibility for the attack on

behalf of the ELF, declaring “We are everywhere and

nowhere and we are watching.” 

DECEMBER 2000

Multiple Arsons 

Phoenix, Arizona

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

During the month of December 2000 a total

of 11 homes under construction in the Phoenix,

Arizona, area were destroyed by arson. These luxury

homes were being built along the border of the North

Phoenix Mountain Preserves, a 25,000-acre area of

land designated for public uses such as hiking, mountain biking, and other outdoor activities. Each of the

arsons occurred during evening hours and was committed at similar points in the targeted homes’ construction. Written warnings left at three of the arson

sites were signed as either the “Coalition to Save the

Preserve” or the “C.S.P., North Phoenix Mountain

Preserves Unit.” Property damage associated with

the arsons is estimated to be in excess of $5 million.

On June 14, 2001, Mark Warren Sands was

indicted and arrested without incident in Phoenix on

nine counts of arson and nine counts of use of a fire

to commit a felony, to include conspiracy to interfere

with commerce with threats of violence. FBI investigation determined that Sands had fabricated the

CSP. On November 7, 2001, Sands entered a guilty

plea to eight counts of extortion and two counts of

the use of fire to commit a federal felony. The arson

charge was dismissed. Sands’ sentencing was scheduled for early 2002.

DECEMBER 9, 19, AND 30, 2000

Multiple Arsons

Suffolk County, Long Island, New York

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

In December 2000 a group of high schoolaged activists adhering to the extremist environmental ideology espoused by the ELF set a series of arson

fires at residences under construction in Suffolk

County, Long Island, New York. On December 9,

2000, the activists set fire to a home under construction using milk-type containers filled with gasoline

and topped with gasoline-soaked sponges and

incense sticks as burn-down fuses. Three other

homes were targeted on the same date; however, the

incendiary devices placed in those homes failed to

ignite. 

On December 19, 2000, another fire was

intentionally set in a home under construction.

Gasoline poured over debris piled in the rear corner

of the house was later determined to be the cause of

the fire. 

On December 30, 2000, fires were reported

at three homes under construction in a nearby area.

The assailants used plastic water bottles filled with

gasoline, topped with gasoline-soaked sponges, to

start the blazes. Incendiary devices placed in two

other homes failed to ignite. Spray-painted messages, including “BURN THE RICH,” “STOP

URBAN SPRAWL,” and “IF YOU BUILD IT WE

WILL BURN IT E.L.F.,” were found on several of

the homes. Additionally, a spray-painted figure of an

elf was found on the garage of one of the homes. 

On January 15, 2001, members of the FBINew York City Police Department Joint Terrorism

Task Force interviewed five high school students,

● Vandalism at residential construction site on

Long Island, New York, carried out by the 

Earth Liberation Front.
TERRORISM 2000/2001

5

including George Mashkow and Jared McIntyre.

Following these interviews, task force members seized

from the home of Jared McIntyre items and devices

used in the vandalism and arsons. On January 19,

2001, acting on information obtained during the

interviews of McIntyre and Mashkow, the task force

secured a search warrant for the home of another

activist, Matthew Rammelkamp. The search resulted

in the seizure of empty water bottles, literature relating to ALF and ELF, and cans of spray paint. On

February 9, 2001, Jared McIntyre pled guilty to malicious destruction by arson. On February 14, 2001,

George Mashkow, age 17, and Matthew

Rammelkamp, age 16, pled guilty to malicious

destruction by arson. The same day a grand jury

returned an indictment against Conor Cash, age 19,

who was subsequently arrested and held for trial. 

TERRORISM PREVENTIONS

MARCH 9, 2000

Planned Bombing

Houston, Texas

(Prevention of one act of Domestic Terrorism)

On March 9, 2000, the Houston Joint

Terrorism Task Force (HJTTF) arrested Mark Wayne

McCool, who was planning to attack the federal

building in Houston, Texas. Before his arrest,

McCool served as the self-proclaimed “colonel” and

leader of the Texas Militia and Combined Action

Program (TMCAP), an organization which advocated a violent revolution against the U.S. Government.

In 1999 McCool, David Nelson, a TMCAP

“major,” and Michael Joffrion, the former “secretary

of defense” for the antigovernment group the

Republic of Texas (ROT), conspired to destroy the

federal building in Houston, which they believed

housed offices of the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol,

Tobacco and Firearms. McCool believed that the

United Nations had constructed a tunnel from the

federal building to the nearby shipping canal and had

stored a large cache of military hardware in a secret

storage area under the building. In late October

1999 McCool disbanded the TMCAP after a falling

out with Michael Joffrion. At approximately the

same time David Nelson disassociated himself from

antigovernment activities. Despite the dissolution of

the TMCAP, however, McCool maintained his interest in acquiring explosives, including military-style

rockets. 

Investigation by the HJTTF revealed that

McCool acquired approximately 100 pages of bombmaking instructions. In addition, he possessed a copy

of The Turner Diaries, in which he marked passages

describing the ammonium nitrate bombing of FBI

Headquarters by a fictionalized group of antigovernment terrorists.

On March 9, 2000, McCool was arrested

without incident after he purchased 1.5 pounds of

authentic C-4 and an SKS collapsible rifle from an

undercover FBI Special Agent. A later search of

McCool’s home and vehicle yielded a list of ROT

members, a homemade silencer, and an illegal sawedoff shotgun. 

On March 16, 2000, McCool was indicted

for possession of illegal weapons

and possession of explosives. On

June 5, 2000, in a negotiated

plea, McCool pled guilty to one

count of possession of explosives

and on August 21, 2000, he was

sentenced to six months’ incarceration and three years’ supervised release. He was also fined

$100.

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS

MAY 11, 2000

Mourad Topalian Pleads Guilty

On May 11, 2000, Mourad Topalian, a suspected leader of the Justice Commandos of the

Armenian Genocide, pled guilty to storage of stolen

explosives and owning two machine guns.

In September 1996, the manager of a public

storage facility in Bedford, Ohio, uncovered a cache

of TNT and blasting caps, as well as firearms, in one

of the facility's self-service lockers. Investigators

eventually traced the locker to Topalian. 

On January 24, 2001, Topalian received a

sentence of 37 months in federal prison and three

years of supervised release.

● Mark Wayne McCool
TERRORISM 2000/2001

6

JUNE 6, 2000

Two Men Plead Guilty to Firing into Eric Robert

Rudolph Command Post

On June 6, 2000, Eddie Dewayne Carringer

and Wayne Henry Burchfield pled guilty to firing

into the command post coordinating the search for

accused serial bomber Eric Robert Rudolph. A third

man, William Claude Lidseen, pled guilty to making

false statements regarding the shooting to investigators. The shooting occurred on November 11, 1998,

at the Southeast Bomb Task Force in Andrews,

North Carolina. A bullet pierced the wall of the

building and brushed past the head of an FBI Special

Agent; no one was injured. On February 8, 2001,

Burchfield was sentenced to 13 years and five months

in prison for his role in the shooting. On June 6,

2001, Carringer was sentenced to 18 years and four

months in prison. On July 25, 2001, Lidseen was

sentenced to a two-year prison term, followed by

three years of supervised release.

JULY 21, 2000

Suspected Hizballah Cell Disrupted

On July 21, 2000, members of the FBI’s Joint

Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in Charlotte, North

Carolina, arrested 18 members of a suspected cigarette-smuggling ring. Another individual suspected

of helping the Charlotte smuggling ring was arrested

the same day in Detroit, Michigan. The smuggling

proceeds are alleged to have been sent to support the

activities of Hizballah, a terrorist organization which

operates primarily from Lebanon. Charges included

several Immigration and Naturalization Service violations as well as visa fraud, money laundering, racketeering, and material support for a terrorist organization. Eight of the suspects have been denied bail. In

2000, one female subject pled guilty to visa and marriage fraud charges and was sentenced to probation.

In 2001, six subjects (three male, three female) pled

guilty to visa and marriage fraud charges with sentences ranging from time served to probation. One

female subject was found guilty of marriage fraud by

jury trial. Charges of marriage fraud were dismissed

against one female, a U.S. citizen. One nonindicted

Lebanese female was voluntarily deported. The

remaining subjects were awaiting trial at the end of

2001.

JULY 28, 2000

Florida Militia Leader Sentenced for Terrorist

Plots

On July 28, 2000, Donald Beauregard, leader

of the Southeastern States Alliance, was sentenced to

a five-year prison term for plotting terrorist attacks

against power plants and government offices in the

states of Florida and Georgia. The plot, which was

thwarted by law enforcement in December 1999,

involved stealing explosives from a National Guard

Armory to use in terrorist attacks which would result

in blackouts throughout Florida and Georgia.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2000

IRA Gun-Smugglers Sentenced

On September 27, 2000, three members of a

gun-smuggling ring that shipped weapons to

Northern Ireland were sentenced to prison terms

ranging from three to five years. Connor Claxton,

Anthony Smyth, and Martin Mullen were convicted

of buying weapons and shipping them to the Irish

Republican Army (IRA) in Northern Ireland. The

59-count indictment charged that the men conspired

to aid terrorists by purchasing weapons and ammunition and mailing them to Northern Ireland for use by

the IRA.

NOVEMBER 15, 2000

Eric Robert Rudolph Indicted for Bombings in

Birmingham and Atlanta

On November 15, 2000, Eric Robert

Rudolph was indicted for the bombing at the 1996

Olympics which killed one woman and injured 120

people, as well as two other Atlanta-area explosions

and a bombing at an abortion clinic in Alabama.

DECEMBER 17, 2000

Terry Nichols’ Appeal Denied

On December 17, 2000, a federal appeals

court denied convicted Oklahoma City bombing

conspirator Terry Nichols’ request for a new trial.

The appeal alleged that the FBI had withheld information that could have helped his case. The threejudge panel ruled that any information withheld by
TERRORISM 2000/2001

7

the FBI would not have provided a “reasonable

chance of changing the outcome” of the case.

Nichols is serving a life sentence for his role in the

April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah

Federal Building that killed 168 people.

DECEMBER 20, 2000

Five Suspects Indicted in Embassy Bombing

Conspiracy

On December 20, 2000, a grand jury in the

Southern District of New York (SDNY) returned an

indictment against five suspects in the case of the

United States v. Usama bin Laden, et al. The five

suspects, Saif Al-Adel, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah,

Muhsin Musa Matwalli Atwah, Ahmed Mohamed

Hamed Ali, and Anas Al-Libi were charged in the

overall conspiracy, led by Usama bin Laden’s 

Al-Qaeda organization, to kill U.S. nationals and

engage in other illegal acts. In addition, Abdullah

Ahmed Abdullah has been charged for his role as the

mastermind of the August 7, 1998 bombings of the

U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam,

Tanzania.
TERRORISM 2000/2001

8

October 12, 2000

BOMBING OF USS COLE, 

ADEN, YEMEN

On October 12, 2000, two suicide pilots of a small bomb-laden boat pulled alongside of the USS Cole at midship, offered friendly gestures to several crew members, and detonated their explosives. The U.S. destroyer, en route to the Persian Gulf, was making a prearranged fuel stop at the port of Aden, Yemen, when the attack occurred. The blast ripped

a hole in the side of the USS Cole approximately 40 feet in diameter and killed 17 U.S.

Navy personnel. At least 40 other crew members were injured. 

Numerous FBI field offices and legal attaches, several hundred FBI agents and

support staff, and Joint Terrorism Task Force personnel took part in the investigation into the

bombing of the USS Cole. The FBI also established a cooperative working relationship with

the Government of Yemen. Investigation revealed that the USS Cole bombing followed an

unsuccessful attempt on January 3, 2000, to bomb another U.S. Navy ship, the USS The

Sullivans. In this earlier incident, the boat sank before the explosives could be detonated;

however, the boat and the explosives

were salvaged. The boat was then

refitted and the explosives were tested

and reused in the USS Cole attack.

The suspects in the bombing

of the USS Cole were believed to have

ties to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic Army

of Aden, an extremist group opposed

to the Yemeni Government and the

presence of U.S. and other Western

influences in Yemen. By year’s end,

Yemeni authorities had arrested eight

suspects, including Jamal Muhammad

Ahmad Al-Badawi and Fahad

Muhammad Ahmad Al-Quso, two of

the alleged masterminds of the USS

The Sullivans and the USS Cole

attacks. Al-Badawi and Al-Quso are known Al-Qaeda operatives who trained in Al-Qaeda

camps in Afghanistan during the 1990s. Other suspects, including alleged key coconspirators Tawfiq Mohummad bin Saleh bin Roshayed bin Attash and Mohammed Hamdi

Mohammed Sadiq Al Ahdal, remain fugitives.
TERRORISM 2000/2001

9

Eight of the terrorist incidents that occurred in the United States in 2001

have been attributed to the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). A claim of

responsibility for an additional incident, arson fires set at an automobile

dealership in Eugene, Oregon, was issued by the North American ELF

Press Office on behalf of an “anonymous group.” One incident was

claimed by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). Two terrorist incidents,

separate bank robberies in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Morgantown,

West Virginia, have been attributed to Clayton Lee Waagner, a special

interest extremist who was arrested in December 2001 for numerous

crimes related directly and indirectly to his anti-abortion activities. The

terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, involving the hijacking of four

commercial airliners which were crashed into the twin towers of the

World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a remote field in Pennsylvania, marked the

first successful international terrorist attack in the United States since the bombing

of the World Trade Center in February 1993. The attack was carried out by 19

members of Al-Qaeda, an international terrorist network headed by Usama bin

Laden. A series of parcels containing the biological agent anthrax sent through the

U.S. postal system during fall 2001 remains under investigation by the FBI and the

U.S. Postal Inspection Service. As noted, to date, this terrorist incident has not

been definitively classified as either domestic or international in nature. 

A total of 2,788 people lost their lives in the United States in terrorist attacks that

occurred during 2001. The September 11 attack resulted in 2,783 deaths, making it

the most deadly act of terrorism ever committed. In addition to the fatalities, an

unknown number of persons was injured. The subsequent series of anthrax mailings resulted in five deaths, with an additional 17 individuals receiving treatment

for anthrax exposure. No other terrorist attacks carried out in the United States in

2001 resulted in deaths or serious injuries. 

The two terrorist plots prevented by law enforcement in 2001 were being planned

by domestic extremists. Ronald Mike Denton was planning to attack his former

place of employment, the Chevron Oil Refinery at El Segundo, California, when he

was arrested in March 2001. In December 2001 Irving David Rubin and Earl Leslie

Krugel, members of the extremist Jewish Defense League, were arrested as they were

in the final stages of planning attacks against the King Fahd Mosque in Culver

City, California, and the local office of U.S. Congressman Darrell Issa. 

IN

REVIEW

2001

The FBIrecorded 14 terrorist incidents and two terrorist preventions in the United States and its

territories in 2001. Twelve of the 14 recorded

incidents were carried out by domestic terrorists. One incident, the terrorist attack

of September 11, was perpetrated by international terrorists. At this time, the other

incident, an unsolved series of anthrax-tainted letters sent through the U.S. postal

system, cannot yet be characterized as either domestic or international in nature.

The two terrorist plots prevented by law enforcement in 2001 were being planned

by domestic extremists. 
TERRORISM 2000/2001

10

TERRORIST INCIDENTS

JANUARY 2, 2001

Arson

Glendale, Oregon

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

During the early morning hours of January 2,

2001, an office of the Superior Lumber Company in

Glendale, Oregon, was damaged by a suspicious fire.

Investigation later revealed that two five-gallon plastic containers filled with diesel fuel were used to start

the fire. Damage to the facility was estimated at

$400,000. Through an anonymous letter to the news

media, the ELF claimed responsibility for the arson,

calling the lumber company “a typical earth raper

contributing to the ecological destruction of the

Northwest.”

FEBRUARY 20, 2001

Arson

Visalia, California

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

In the early morning of February 20, 2001,

the Tulare County (California) Fire Department

responded to a suspicious fire at the Delta and Pine

Land Company in Visalia. Damage to the facility

was estimated to exceed $200,000. On February 25,

2001, the ELF claimed responsibility for the arson via

an “Urgent News Advisory” on its web site. The

advisory described how the arson was carried out. In

its claim of responsibility, the ELF stated that the

company was targeted due to its work with genetically engineered seeds. 

MARCH 9, 2001

Tree Spiking

Culpeper, Virginia

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

On March 9, 2001, an employee of the

Rockhill Lumber Company in Culpeper, Virginia,

discovered leaflets that had been nailed to various

trees along a logging path located on the company’s

tree-harvesting property. The leaflets, marked with

“Earth Liberation Front,” were attached to the trees

using six-inch gutter spikes. According to the

leaflets, the spikes had been placed in the trees to

prevent them from being cut down.
TERRORISM 2000/2001

11

MARCH 30, 2001

Arson

Eugene, Oregon

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

On March 30, 2001, 37 new sport-utility

vehicles at a dealership in Eugene, Oregon, were

destroyed by arson. Subsequent investigation determined that more than 20 two-gallon containers filled

with gasoline were placed under the vehicles and

ignited. Damage is estimated at approximately $1

million. On April 1, 2001, Craig Rosebraugh of the

North American Earth Liberation Front Press Office

announced a claim for the arson by an “anonymous

group.” The claim cited “Free” and “Critter,” two

environmental activists who were convicted and

incarcerated for an arson that had previously been set

at the same dealership.

APRIL 15, 2001

Arson

Portland, Oregon

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

During the early morning hours of April 15,

2001, a fire was reported at the Ross Island Sand and

Gravel company in Portland, Oregon. The Portland

police and fire bureaus responded and discovered

three concrete-mixing trucks on fire. The remains of

incendiary devices were later found under each of the

trucks. A fourth device was found intact near one of

the burned vehicles. The ELF claimed responsibility

for the arson in a news release issued on April 23,

2001.

MAY 17, 2001

NOVEMBER 9, 2001

Bank Robberies

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Morgantown, West Virginia

(Two acts of Domestic Terrorism) 

On February 22, 2001, anti-abortion extremist Clayton Lee Waagner escaped from a county jail

in Clinton, Illinois, where he was being held after a

December 6, 2000 conviction on federal charges for

possession of a firearm by a felon and interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle. Waagner was

scheduled to be sentenced in a federal court on

INTERNATIONAL

81

85

14

8

RIGHT-WING

TOTAL

130

164

UNKNOWN 8

1980-2001

85

TERRORISM

 by Group Class

● Figures include terrorist incidents, suspected

terrorist incidents, and preventions.

(The Jewish Defense League has been

deemed a right-wing terrorist group.).

LEFT-WING

482

INDIVIDUAL 14

SPECIAL

INTEREST

81
TERRORISM 2000/2001

12

March 16, 2001. Prior to his escape, Waagner stated

that if he got out of prison he would continue his

mission to stalk and kill abortion providers. 

On September 7, 2001, Waagner was

involved in a “hit and run” accident in Memphis,

Tennessee. Responding police officers discovered

various items in the stolen vehicle Waagner had

abandoned at the scene, including a pipe bomb and

bomb-making components. Additional bomb-making components were later discovered in a hotel

room Waagner abandoned in Tunica, Mississippi.

Between October 15 and October 17, 2001, Waagner

allegedly mailed more than 300 anthrax threat letters

to reproductive health clinics on the East Coast.

The envelopes, marked “Time Sensitive” and

“Urgent Security Notice Enclosed,” bore the return

addresses of the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S.

Secret Service. The letters, signed “Army of GodVirginia Dare Cell,” contained a white powdery substance that tested negative for anthrax. Between

November 5 and November 8, 2001, a second wave

of anthrax threat letters, again signed “Army of God-
TERRORISM 2000/2001

13

Virginia Dare Cell,” were mailed to reproductive

health clinics. In addition, bomb threats were telephoned to businesses located in the buildings that

house the national headquarters of Planned

Parenthood and the National Abortion Federation.

After his arrest on December 5, 2001, Waagner indicated to investigators that he was in the process of

preparing a third wave of fabricated anthrax threat

letters to abortion providers. Waagner also stated

that he intended to place the pipe bomb recovered

from the vehicle in Memphis at a local Planned

Parenthood office.

Waagner is believed to have committed several bank robberies to support his illegal 

anti-abortion activities and his fugitive status. By

year's end, he had been formally charged with two:

the May 17, 2001 robbery of a bank in Harrisburg,

Pennsylvania, and the November 9, 2001 robbery of

a bank in Morgantown, West Virginia. Each of these

robberies has been designated as an act of domestic

terrorism.

MAY 21, 2001

Arson

Seattle, Washington

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

On May 21, 2001, a fire was intentionally set

at the University of Washington’s Center for Urban

Horticulture. The office of an associate professor specializing in hybrid poplar tree research appeared to be

the primary target of the arson; however, fire also

damaged other parts of the center, causing approximately $3 million in damage. Five-gallon containers

filled with gasoline and electronic timers were used

to start the fire. The ELF claimed responsibility for

the arson, as well as another arson involving similar

incendiary devices set the same day at the Jefferson

Poplar Farm, in Clatskanie, Oregon. 

MAY 21, 2001

Arson

Clatskanie, Oregon

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

During the early morning hours of May 21,

2001, a fire was reported at the Jefferson Poplar

Farms, a facility which conducts research on hybrid

poplar trees, in Clatskanie, Oregon. Two buildings

and several vehicles were destroyed by the fire. A

third building was spray-painted with graffiti reading

“ELF” and “You cannot control what is wild.”

Damages were estimated at $800,000. Three intact

incendiary devices, similar to devices used on the

same morning at the University of Washington

Horticulture Center, were found near a fourth building at the Clatskanie facility. The ELF claimed

responsibility for both arsons.

JULY 24, 2001

Destruction of Property

Stateline, Nevada

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

On July 24, 2001, unidentified individuals

scaled at least three towers supporting the gondola

transportation system of the Heavenly Valley Ski

Resort in Stateline, Nevada. These individuals

affixed a large piece of wood to the gondola cable

using zip ties, apparently in an attempt to derail the

gondola. When the gondola operators commenced

operation on the morning of July 25, 2001, a sensor

cable attached to two other towers snapped, signaling

a problem and causing immediate cessation of operations. At the base of one of the towers, individuals

had spelled “ELF” using the same type of zip ties that

were used on the cable. This potentially life-threatening incident resulted in approximately $2,000 in

lost revenue for the ski resort.
TERRORISM 2000/2001

14

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

Aircraft Attack

New York, New York

Arlington, Virginia

Stony Creek Township, Pennsylvania

(One act of International Terrorism)

On the morning of September 11, 2001, four

U.S. commercial airliners were hijacked by four coordinated teams of terrorists. The 19 hijackers who

carried out the operation were affiliated with 

Al-Qaeda, a worldwide terrorist network that had previously attacked U.S. military and diplomatic targets.

The hijackers used knives, boxcutters, and possibly

pepper spray to attack passengers and flight crews and

to commandeer the aircraft. After taking control of

the aircraft, the hijackers flew toward preselected targets on the U.S. East Coast. Three of the commandeered aircraft reached their destinations, destroying

the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New

York City and badly damaging the Pentagon in

Arlington, Virginia. The fourth aircraft crashed into

a remote field in Stony Creek Township,

● Aerial views of the September 11

crash sites, clockwise from upper left: 

World Trade Center in New York City; 

Stony Creek Township, Pennsylvania; 

Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
TERRORISM 2000/2001

15

Pennsylvania, as passengers attempted to regain control of the airplane. All of the passengers on each of

the aircraft were killed in the attack, as were more

than 2,500 people in the twin towers and the

Pentagon. In total, 2,783* people died in the

September 11 attack, making it the most deadly act

of terrorism ever committed. The September 11

attack also marked the first known suicide terrorist

attack carried out in the United States since the FBI

began keeping terrorist records. 

The coordinated attack began shortly after

American Airlines (AA) flight 11 departed Logan

International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts, bound

for Los Angeles, California, at 7:59 a.m. Eighty-one

passengers and 11 crew members were onboard the

Boeing 767 aircraft. Minutes into the cross-country

flight, a team of five terrorists--Mohamed Atta,

Abdul Aziz al Omari, Satam al Suqami, Waleed al

Sheri, and Wail al Shehri--commandeered the aircraft. At 8:13 a.m., AA flight 11 diverted from its

charted course. It is believed that Mohamed Atta,

who had obtained flight training in the United States

during the prior two years, had taken over the aircraft’s controls, redirecting it toward New York City.

At approximately 8:46 a.m., AA flight 11 crashed

into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Less than two hours later, at 10:25 a.m., the North

Tower collapsed.

At approximately 7:58 a.m., United Airlines

(UA) flight 175, a Boeing 767 aircraft, departed

Boston’s Logan International Airport bound for Los

Angeles, with 51 passengers and 9 crew members onboard. Shortly after takeoff, the plane was hijacked

by five terrorists--Marwan al Shehhi, Fayez Ahmed

Banihammad, Ahmed Alghamdi, Hamza Alghamdi,

and Mohand Alshehri. It is believed that Marwan al

Shehhi, who received flight training in the United

States during the prior two years, took over controls

of the aircraft, flying it toward New York City. At

9:05 a.m., UA flight 175 struck the South Tower of

the World Trade Center, which collapsed 50 minutes

later at 9:55 a.m. 

At 8:20 a.m., AA flight 77, a Boeing 757 aircraft, departed Dulles International Airport in

Herndon, Virginia, en-route to Los Angeles, with 58

passengers and six crew members on-board. Among

the passengers were five hijackers--Hani Hanjour,

Khalid al-Mihdar, Nawaf al-Hazmi, Salem al-Hazmi,

and Majed Moqed--who subdued the passengers and

crew and commandeered the flight. It is believed

that Hani Hanjour, who began pilot training in 1996

in the United States, took over controls of the aircraft. At 8:55 a.m., the aircraft began an unauthorized turn to the southeast, to return toward the

Washington, D.C., area. At 9:37 a.m., AA flight 77

crashed into the southwest side of the Pentagon. In

addition to the 64 victims aboard the aircraft, 125

people in the Pentagon died as a result of the crash

and resulting fire. 

At 8:42 a.m., UA flight 93, a Boeing 757 aircraft, departed Newark (New Jersey) International

Airport en-route to San Francisco, California, with

37 passengers and seven crew members on-board.

Among the passengers was a team of four hijackers--

Ziad Samir Jarrah, Saeed Alghamdi, Ahmad

Ibrahim A. al Haznawi, and Ahmed Alnami. The

aircraft reached a cruising altitude of more than

35,000 feet by 9:15, and the automatic pilot was

engaged. At approximately 9:28 a.m., a manual override to change altitude and direction was executed.

The aircraft climbed to more than 40,000 feet and

turned from its westerly direction to the southeast.

Although the automatic pilot remained engaged for

the remainder of the flight, the aircraft descended

gradually to an altitude of 5,000 feet. Ziad Samir

Jarrah, the only hijacker with flight training, having

obtained a pilot’s license in the United States during

the prior two years, is believed to have taken over

the controls of the aircraft after the hijacking. As

the aircraft descended, passengers were herded to the

rear of the airplane, where at least one of the hijackers told passengers to place telephone calls to their

loved ones. Through these telephone calls and

recordings from the cockpit voice recorder and air

traffic control tapes, investigators were able to piece

together some details from the final moments of UA

flight 93. Passengers set in motion a plan to regain

control of the flight--possibly by throwing scalding

water on the hijackers. UA flight 93 crashed into a

remote field in Stony Creek Township, Pennsylvania,

at approximately 10:03 a.m. The crash resulted in

the deaths of all 33 passengers and seven crew 

members. 

* This number does not include the 19 hijackers, all of whom died in

the attack.
TERRORISM 2000/2001

16

SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2001

Bacillus Anthracis Mailings

New York, New York

Washington, D.C.

Lantana, Florida

(One act of Terrorism) 

In the fall of 2001, the United States was

subjected to the most significant bioterrorist attack in

the nation’s history. A total of four anthrax-tainted

parcels were recovered, including letters mailed to

NBC News Anchor Tom Brokaw, the editor of The

New York Post, and U.S. senators Tom Daschle and

Patrick Leahy. The anthrax-tainted letters killed five

people and infected more than a dozen others who

were treated and

recovered.

As a precautionary

measure, an

additional

20,000 people were

given

antibiotics

and 21

buildings,

including

offices of the

U.S. House of

Representatives and the

U.S. Senate and postal

facilities, were temporarily shut down due to contamination. 

Anthrax, an infectious disease caused by

the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, is characterized

by several clinical forms, including cutaneous

(skin lesions), pulmonary (inhalation), and

intestinal (ingestion). Victims of anthrax experience symptoms similar to that of a common flu.

If left untreated, infected persons can die within days

of becoming symptomatic. 

The first victim of anthrax exposure, Robert

Stevens, was employed with American Media

Incorporated (AMI), the nation’s largest publisher of

tabloid newspapers. Stevens sought medical treatment after he began experiencing flu-like symptoms

on September 30, 2001; on October 4, 2001, laboratory results indicated pulmonary anthrax; and on

October 5, 2001, within three days of being hospitalized, Stevens died. Days later, a second victim, also

an employee of AMI, became ill with pulmonary

anthrax. The second victim was treated 

promptly with antibiotics and recovered fully.

Although no anthrax-tainted parcels were recovered

at the AMI facility, swabbings indicated the presence

of Bacillus anthracis at a number of locations within

the AMI building; the facility was closed and at year’s

● Anthrax-tainted letters 
TERRORISM 2000/2001

17

end was undergoing additional testing.

In September 2001, letters were mailed to

The New York Post and to NBC

News Anchor Tom 

Brokaw. The letters were postmarked in Trenton, New Jersey, on

Tuesday, September, 18, 2001–exactly one week after the September 11

attacks on New York City and

Washington, D.C. A CBS employee

and the seven-month-old baby of an

ABC producer also tested positive

for cutaneous anthrax suggesting

that additional letters may have been sent to the

New York offices of CBS and ABC; however, no letters were recovered from these locations. 

In October 2001 letters were addressed to

U.S. senators Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy. Both

letters contained anthrax powder along with references to “September 11, 2001,” “Anthrax,” and

“Allah.” When the Senator Daschle letter was

opened by a staff member, a small cloud of anthrax

spilled out of the envelope. The U.S. Capitol Police

and FBI were notified, and the area was vacated and

secured immediately. 

The letter to Senator Leahy, Chairman of the

Senate Judiciary Committee, was recovered from a

quarantined postal facility on November 16, 2001.

The envelope included the same fictitious return

address hand-printed on the Daschle letter: 4th

Grade, Greendale School, Franklin Park, NJ 08852.

All four anthrax-tainted letters were mailed in

envelopes that were prestamped and embossed with a

blue “Federal Eagle” design on the front. These

envelopes can be purchased only in U.S. Post Offices,

via the Internet, or through catalogue phone order.

Additionally, the four letters were all processed at the

Hamilton Distribution Center located in Hamilton

Township, New Jersey, and were postmarked in

Trenton, New Jersey.

Although the four recovered letters bore

many similarities, significant variations exist between

the letters sent to senators Daschle and Leahy and

those sent to the media. The two letters mailed to

the senators contained a more refined form of

anthrax powder. The text of the letters also varied

between the two sets of letters. The two known letters addressed to the media included the following

language: “9/11/01 // THIS IS NEXT // TAKE

PENACILIN NOW // DEATH TO AMERICA //

DEATH TO ISRAEL // ALLAH IS GREAT” (double slashes inserted for clarity and

indicate line breaks in the text).

The letters sent to the senators

stated "YOU CAN NOT STOP

US. WE HAVE THIS

ANTHRAX. YOU DIE NOW.

ARE YOU AFRAID? DEATH

TO AMERICA. DEATH TO

ISRAEL. ALLAH IS GREAT.”

These letters are being examined

by FBI Laboratory personnel as

part of the ongoing investigation. 

By the end of 2001, 11 cases of pulmonary

anthrax were confirmed, seven cases of cutaneous

anthrax were confirmed, and four additional cases

remain suspect. Five of the 18 confirmed anthrax

cases resulted in death. Each of the deaths resulted

from pulmonary (inhalation) anthrax. These are the

first known deaths in the United States resulting

from criminal use of a biological agent.

OCTOBER 14, 2001

Arson

Litchfield, California

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

During the early morning of October 14,

2001, a fire was reported at the U.S. Bureau of Land

Management Wild Horse and Burro Corral in

Litchfield, California. Upon arrival, firefighters

encountered a large hay barn fully engulfed in flames.

A search of the property, consisting of several corrals

housing more than 100 horses, revealed that fences

had been cut and gates opened, in an apparent

attempt to allow the horses to escape. Three intact

improvised incendiary devices similar to those used

in previous arsons attributed to the ELF were also

recovered. The ELF claimed responsibility for the

arson, which caused damages estimated between

$75,000 and $85,000.
TERRORISM 2000/2001

18

NOVEMBER 12, 2001

Burglary and Vandalism

San Diego, California

(One act of Domestic Terrorism)

On November 12, 2001, the San Diego

(California) Police Department responded to a burglary and vandalism report at Sierra Biomedical. A

Sierra Biomedical van was covered with red paint

and graffiti referencing the ALF. It was subsequently

determined that toxic chemicals believed to be acid

and bleach had been deliberately poured throughout

the research facility. Additional graffiti in black

spray paint stating that “VIVISECTION IS FRAUD”

and “THE ALF WAS HERE” was also found at the

facility. Damages were estimated to exceed

$500,000. The ALF claimed responsibility for this

incident via an e-mail sent to the vice president and

general manager of Sierra Biomedical.

TERRORISM PREVENTIONS

MARCH 29, 2001

Planned Bombing

Los Angeles, California

(Prevention of one act of Domestic Terrorism)

On March 29, 2001, Ronald Mike Denton

was arrested for threatening to attack the Chevron

Oil Refinery at El Segundo, California. He was

indicted on three counts: interference with commerce by threats or violence, threat to use a weapon

of mass destruction, and mailing threatening communications. Investigation revealed that Denton had

been employed by the Chevron Refinery for approximately 12 years. Dissatisfied with working conditions

and promotion decisions, he was placed on stress

leave. As a condition of his leave, Denton was

required to undergo outpatient psychiatric treatment.

During his sessions, Denton repeatedly threatened to

destroy the refinery and surrounding communities.

At the time of his arrest, several firearms were found

in his bedroom, including an SKS assault rifle, 1,400

rounds of jacketed ammunition, and books on how to

create explosives and survive as a fugitive.

Additionally, placards and Chevron employee identification cards that allowed Denton access to the

refinery were found in his automobile. Illegal fireworks were also found, which could have facilitated

Denton’s detailed plan to detonate seven liquid

petroleum gas spheres, some of which held up to

6,272,692 pounds of highly volatile fuel. Had

Denton carried out his planned attack, financial losses could have exceeded $4.8 billion.

DECEMBER 11, 2001

Planned Bombing

Los Angeles, California

(Prevention of one act of Domestic Terrorism)

On December 11, 2001, Irving David Rubin

and Earl Leslie Krugel were arrested by the 

Los Angeles Joint Terrorism Task Force for conspiring

to build and place improvised explosive devices

(IEDs) at the King Fahd Mosque in Culver City,

California, and the local office of Congressman

Darrell Issa. Rubin and Krugel were subsequently

charged with conspiracy to destroy a building by

means of an explosive, as well as possession of a

destructive device during and in relation to a crime

of violence. Rubin and Krugel were active members

of the Jewish Defense League (JDL), a violent

extremist Jewish organization. Statements by Rubin

and Krugel indicated that they had planned the

attack against the mosque to demonstrate the militancy of the JDL. Krugel further indicated that the

attack was planned to provide a “wake up call” to the

Muslim community. It was determined that Rubin

and Krugel had

already acquired the

necessary components to build an

IED, including pipes,

fuses, and smokeless

powder.

● Irving David Rubin
TERRORISM 2000/2001

19

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS

JANUARY 19, 2001

Former San Joaquin Leader, Donald Rudolph,

Pleads Guilty to 1999 Propane Plot

On January 19, 2001, Donald Rudolph pled

guilty to withholding knowledge of a conspiracy to

use a weapon of mass destruction in connection with

a 1999 plot to destroy a propane storage facility near

Elk Grove, California. Rudolph also pled guilty to

conspiring to kill a U.S. district judge. The plot to

attack the propane storage facility was disrupted on

December 3, 1999, when members of the Sacramento

Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested Kevin Ray

Patterson and Charles Dennis Kiles. Patterson, Kiles,

and Rudolph were associated with an antigovernment group active in the central region of the state.

When arrested, Patterson and Kiles were in possession of detonation cord, blasting caps, grenade hulls,

and various chemicals, including ammonium nitrate.

They were also in possession of numerous weapons.

Patterson and Kiles were awaiting trial at year’s end.

JANUARY 24, 2001 

Buford O'Neal Furrow enters Guilty Plea in

Shooting at North Valley Jewish Community

Center

On January 24, 2001, Buford O’Neal Furrow

pled guilty to the murder of Joseph Ileto, a U.S.

postal employee, and to shooting several children at

the North Valley Jewish Community Center. The

attack took place on August 10, 1999, when Furrow

fired gunshots into the North Valley Jewish

Community Center in Granada Hills, California.

While fleeing the scene, Furrow shot and killed
TERRORISM 2000/2001

20

Joseph Ileto. On March 26, 2001, Furrow was sentenced to five life sentences plus 110 years and

required to pay $690,000 in restitution to his victims.

JANUARY 31, 2001

Verdicts Handed Down in the Pan Am 103

Bombing Case

On January 31, 2001, a special three-judge

Scottish court announced its verdict in the trial of

two former Libyan intelligence operatives charged

with the downing of Pan Am flight 103 over

Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988. The

trial of the two men began in Camp Zeist, The

Netherlands, on May 3, 2000. The court convicted

one defendant, Abdel Basset Ali Al-Megrahi, of 270

counts of murder. (The defendants were charged

with one count of murder for each person who perished in the bombing.) The other defendant, Lamen

Khalifa Fhimah, was acquitted on all charges and

released by the court. Al-Megrahi was sentenced to a

mandatory life sentence; he is appealing the court's

decision. The bombing killed all 259 passengers

onboard and an additional 11 individuals on the

ground. The two subjects had been accused of being

agents of the Libyan Intelligence Service and were

given refuge in Libya until April 5, 1999, when Libya

agreed to turn the suspects over for trial. By year’s

end, the Libyan Government had continued to deny

involvement in the bombing.

FEBRUARY 27, 2001

Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) Members Arrested in

Los Angeles

On February 27, 2001, federal, state, and local

officials in Los Angeles executed three search warrants and arrested seven individuals on charges of

alleged material support of a terrorist organization,

the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK). The individuals

arrested are alleged to have knowingly conspired to

support the MEK by conducting fund raising, financial transactions, and other activities in support of

the MEK organization.

APRIL 6, 2001

Ahmed Ressam Convicted

On April 6, 2001, after a three-week trial in

Los Angeles, California, Algerian-born Ahmed

Ressam was found guilty on nine criminal counts

emanating from a plot to detonate explosives at the

Los Angeles International Airport during the U.S.

Millennium celebrations. The charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 130 years, and Ressam awaited sentencing at year’s end. In June 2001, Ressam

agreed to cooperate with the U.S. Government in

the investigation. 

On December 14, 1999, authorities arrested

Ressam for possession and transportation of explosives found in his rental car as he attempted to enter

the United States from Canada at Port Angeles,

Washington. The search revealed over 100 pounds

of white powder–later determined to be urea sulfate–as well as approximately eight ounces of a highly

volatile nitroglycerine mixture and fusing systems

components. Other items found in Ressam’s car were

a number of forms of identification linked to at least

seven aliases–including one used at the Port Angeles

border entry point–and maps and guidebooks indicating that he was targeting the Los Angeles airport. A

hotel reservation for Ressam near the Seattle Center

resulted in a cancellation of the New Year’s celebration at the Space Needle. 

Investigation by the FBI and other domestic

and foreign law enforcement agencies revealed that

Ressam had attended Al-Qaeda training camps in

Afghanistan and was acting with others as part of a

terrorist cell based in Canada. The investigation led

to the December 30, 1999 arrest in New York of an

Algerian man, Abdelghani Meskini. Testimony

given by Meskini purported that he had conspired

with Algerian-born Mokhtar Haouri to provide material support to Ressam’s plot to smuggle explosives

into the United States. Meskini signed a plea agreement in a federal court in Manhattan, and he agreed

to testify against other suspects accused of participating in the millennial bombing plot. Haouri was

extradited to the United States from Canada to stand

trial, and on July 13, 2001, he was found guilty on

the charge of conspiracy to provide material support
TERRORISM 2000/2001

21

to a terrorist act and four counts of bank, credit card,

and document fraud. Haouri was acquitted on the

charge of aiding and abetting a terrorist act. He

awaited sentencing at year’s end. 

The investigation relating to associates of

Ressam, Meskini, and Haouri continues. On April 6,

2000, the Department of State announced a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest and

conviction of Abdelmajid Dahoumane for his role in

the millennial bombing plot. Dahoumane was arrested in Algeria in August 2000, where he remains in

custody for terrorism-related charges in that country. 

On August 27, 2001, Abu Doha, a 37-yearold Algerian, was indicted on eight counts, including

conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, for

his role in the plot. The indictment alleges that

Doha met with Usama bin Laden to plan an attack

against a major airport in the United States and that

Doha coordinated the attack with Ressam. Doha

awaits extradition from the United Kingdom to stand

trial in the United States.

On December 12, 2001, Samir Ait

Mohamed, a 32-year-old Algerian man living in

Canada, was indicted in U.S. District Court in

Manhattan on charges of conspiracy to commit an

act of international terrorism and to provide material

support to a terrorist act; these charges carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Mohamed

allegedly tried to obtain weapons for Ressam’s use in

commiting bank robberies to raise money for the millennial bombing plot. Mohamed was arrested on

November 15, 2001, by Canadian authorities in

British Columbia and awaits extradition to the

United States to face trial.

JUNE 11, 2001

Execution of Timothy McVeigh, Convicted

Oklahoma City Bomber, First Federal Execution

in 38 Years

In accordance with the sentence rendered by

a unanimous jury on June 13, 1997, Timothy

McVeigh died by lethal injection on June 11, 2001,

at Terra Haute Prison, Indiana, for bombing the

Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City

on April 19, 1995. McVeigh was convicted on June

2, 1997, on 11 counts of murder and conspiracy for

launching an attack against the U.S. Government,

which resulted in an explosion that killed 168 people, including 19 children. 

Shortly after McVeigh waived his rights to

appeal his conviction and sentence on December 28,

2000, his execution was scheduled for May 16, 2001.

The original execution date was postponed to allow

McVeigh’s attorneys to review additional documents

turned over to the court by the FBI. This evidence

had not been available to the court during the 1997

trial. After two appeals to extend McVeigh’s stay of

execution were denied, on June 7, 2001, McVeigh

requested that his death sentence be carried out.

McVeigh was executed on June 11, 2001, at 7:00 a.m.

with an audience comprised of 25 witnesses and 300

survivors and relatives of the victims who perished in

the Oklahoma City bombing. The McVeigh execution marked the first use of the death penalty by the

federal government in 38 years. 

● Ahmed Ressam
TERRORISM 2000/2001

22

JUNE 21, 2001

Fourteen Suspects Indicted in Khobar Towers

Bombing

On June 21, 2001, the Eastern District of

Virginia filed 46 charges against 14 suspects (13

Saudis and one Lebanese) arising from the June 25,

1996 truck bomb attack on the Khobar Towers military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Nineteen

American servicemen were killed and 372 other

Americans and Saudis were injured. All 14 suspects,

Ahmed Al-Mughassil, Ali Al Houri, Hani AlSayegh, Ibrahim Al-Yacoub, Abdel Karim Al-Nasser,

Mustafa Al-Qassab, Sa’ed Al-Bahar, Abdallah AlJarash, Hussein Al-Mughis, Ali Al-Marhoun, Saleh

Ramadan, Mustafa Al Mu’alem, Fadel Al-Alawe and

the unnamed Lebanese male, were indicted for conspiracy based on their connection to Saudi Hizballah.

JULY 5, 2001

FBI Arrests Aryan Nations Leader in Ohio

On July 5, 2001, Special Agents from the

FBI’s Cincinnati field office arrested Danny William

Kincaid, leader of the Ohio chapter of the Aryan

Nations, on federal weapons violations and for possession of an explosive device. Kincaid was arrested

after a 13-month investigation by federal agents. He

is charged with the illegal sale of at least 15 firearms.

Kincaid was awaiting trial at year’s end.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2001

Office of Homeland Security Announced

In a speech before both houses of Congress

on September 20, 2001, President George W. Bush

announced the creation of the Office of Homeland

Security. The President named former Pennsylvania

Governor Tom Ridge as its acting Director. The

Office of Homeland Security and its Director will

report directly to the President and will be responsible for coordinating matters related to security preparedness. 

SEPTEMBER 23, 2001

Signing of Executive Order 13224 to Block

Terrorist Assets

On September 23, 2001, President Bush

issued Executive Order 13224 in response to terrorist

acts committed by foreign terrorists against the

United States. EO 13224 identifies Specially

Designated Global Terrorist Entities and Individuals

that are considered a threat to the United States’

national security, and enables the U.S. Government

to block their assets in any financial institution in

the United States or held by any U.S. person. EO

13224 also expands U.S. Government authority to

permit the designation of individuals and organizations that associate with, finance, or provide other

support services to designated terrorists. 

SEPTEMBER 28, 2001

U.N. Security Council Passes Binding

Counterterrorism Resolution 

As a result of the September 11 terrorist

attack, the U.N. Security Council unanimously

approved Resolution 1373 on September 28, 2001, as

an international attempt to collectively prevent terrorist acts and identify countries that provide safehavens or support for terrorist groups. In order to

combat terrorism, each U.N. member is required to

take specific measures. 

OCTOBER 18, 2001

Sentencing of Four Al-Qaeda Members

Convicted of Bombing U.S. Embassies

On October 18, 2001, following a 6-month

trial, four Al-Qaeda members received life sentences

without parole for their roles in a conspiracy to kill

Americans which resulted in the August 1998 vehicle bombings of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi,

Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. In addition,

each was ordered to pay $7 million in restitution to

the victims’ families and $26 million in restitution to

the U.S. Government. Mohamed Rashed Daoud AlOwhali, Khalfan Khamis Mohamed, Wadih El-Hage,

and Mohamed Sadeek Odeh were convicted on May

29, 2001, in the Southern District of New York on a
TERRORISM 2000/2001

23

variety of charges related to the embassies’ bombing

plot that included murder, conspiracy to kill U.S.

nationals, and conspiracy to destroy buildings or

property of the United States. El-Hage was the only

U.S. citizen held accountable for the attacks. The

four were originally scheduled to be sentenced in

September 2001, but sentencing was delayed due to

the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on

September 11. 

In the previous year, on October 20, 2000, a

former U.S. Army sergeant, Ali Mohamed, pled

guilty to assisting in the 1998 plot to bomb the U.S.

embassies. Mohamed, a 48-year-old native of Egypt,

implicated Usama bin Laden in the plot, stating that

in 1993, he was asked by bin Laden to survey potential U.S. targets in Nairobi. In a statement to the

court, Mohamed said, “these targets were selected to

retaliate against the United States for its involvement in Somalia.” 

Two other terrorists, Mamdouh Mahmud

Salim and Mohamed Sulieman Al-Nalfi were

charged separately in the Southern District of New

York for their roles in the 1998 bombings. After

allegedly attacking and critically wounding a corrections officer at the Metropolitan Correctional Center

on November 2, 2000, Salim was severed from the

trial and will be tried separately on attempted murder

charges in connection with the assault. Mohamed

Sulieman Al-Nalfi was arrested in Africa on

November 10, 2000. Charged with conspiracy to kill

U.S. nationals, Al-Nalfi is in custody and awaits trial

in the Southern District of New York. 

Three individuals, Ibrahim Hussein

Abdelhadi Eidarous, Adel Mohammed Abdul

Almagid Abdul Bary, and Khaled Al Fawwaz, are

being held in the United Kingdom and are expected

to be extradited to stand trial in the Southern

District of New York for their involvement in the

1998 bombings.

The bombings at the U.S. embassies on

August 7, 1998, resulted in 214 deaths, including

those of 12 Americans. During the trial, the jury

heard evidence that Mohamed assisted with the construction of the bomb that exploded in the U.S.

embassy in Dar es Salaam, and Al-Owhali drove the

bomb in a vehicle and parked it at the U.S. embassy

in Nairobi. From the beginning, Usama bin Laden

and his Al-Qaeda terrorist network were viewed as

orchestrating the bombings. In order to carry out the

attacks, Al-Owhali and Mohamed attended weapons

and explosive training at an Al-Qaeda terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. For their direct involvement in the attacks, government attorneys had originally sought the death penalty for Mohamed and AlOwhali; this marked the first time the U.S.

Government had sought the death penalty for individuals charged with committing acts of international

terrorism.

OCTOBER 26, 2001

USA PATRIOT Act Enacted

On October 26, 2001, the President signed

the “Uniting and Strengthening America by

Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept

and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001” (USA PATRIOT Act). A description of the act and its implications for U.S. law enforcement’s investigation and

prosecution of persons who engage in terrorist activity is provided in the In-Focus section of this report.

OCTOBER 31, 2001

Symbionese Liberation Army Extremist Pleads

Guilty

On October 31, 2001, Kathleen Ann Soliah

pled guilty to two counts related to the 1975 plot to

plant car bombs designed to kill Los Angeles police

officers. These attacks were planned in retaliation

for the deaths of six Symbionese Liberation Army

members by law enforcement during a shoot-out in

Los Angeles. The indictment was handed down on

February 26, 1976. Soliah remained a fugitive for 23

years until her arrest on June 16, 1999, predicated on

information provided by a viewer of the television

show America’s Most Wanted. To avoid capture,

Soliah was living in St. Paul, Minnesota, using the

alias Sara Jane Olsen.
TERRORISM 2000/2001

24

NOVEMBER 19, 2001

Reward of $25 Million Offered for Usama bin

Laden

On November 19, 2001, U.S. Secretary of

State Colin Powell authorized a reward of up to $25

million for information leading to the capture of

Usama bin Laden and other key Al-Qaeda leaders.

The Rewards for Justice Program was established by

the 1984 Act to Combat International Terrorism.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic

Security administers the program, under which the

Secretary of State may offer rewards of up to $5 million for information that prevents or favorably

resolves acts of international terrorism against U.S.

persons or property worldwide. The USA PATRIOT

Act of 2001, which became law on October 26,

authorizes the Department of State to offer or pay

rewards of greater than $5 million if the Secretary of

State determines that a greater amount is necessary

to defend the United States against terrorist acts. 

NOVEMBER 30, 2001

Sentencing of White Supremacist Brothers for

Synagogue Arsons

On November 30, 2001, Benjamin Matthew

Williams and James Tyler Williams were sentenced

for setting fires to three synagogues on June 18, 1999,

and an abortion clinic on July 2, 1999, all in

Sacramento, California. Benjamin Williams received

a sentence of 30 years in prison, while his brother

was sentenced to 21 years and three months in

prison. The brothers were also ordered to pay $1 million in restitution. The Williams brothers, who are

followers of the World Church of the Creator and

the Aryan Nations, pled guilty in September 2001.

The Williams brothers are also awaiting trial on murder charges for their suspected role of killing a homosexual couple on July 2, 1999. If convicted, the

Williams brothers could face the death penalty.

DECEMBER 4, 2001

Leader of the American Knights of the Ku Klux

Klan sentenced

On December 4, 2001, Jeff Berry, leader of

the American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, was sentenced to seven years in prison for conspiracy to commit criminal confinement with a deadly weapon.

The charges stemmed from a 1999 incident in which

Berry refused to allow a local reporter and his 

camera-woman to leave his home following an interview.

DECEMBER 5, 2001

Arrest of Anti-Abortionist Clayton Lee Waagner

On December 5, 2001, Clayton Lee Waagner

was arrested without incident by the Springdale

(Ohio) Police Department at a local copy center. On

September 14, 2001, Waagner had been placed on

the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List, stemming

from a series of crimes related directly and indirectly

to his violent anti-abortion activism. On February

22, 2001, Waagner escaped from an Illinois jail, after

being convicted for firearms and other charges and

awaiting a possible 15-years-to-life sentence.

Waagner was apprehended as a result of a nationwide

manhunt; he has been accused of mailing hoax

anthrax letters to reproductive health clinics nationwide during September and October 2001. On

September 18, 2001, Waagner was indicted for

firearms violations in Tennessee and a carjacking in

Mississippi. Additional

charges may surface against

him in connection with

additional bank robberies

in West Virginia and

Pennsylvania.

● Clayton Lee Waagner
TERRORISM 2000/2001

25

● Clockwise from top:

shoe worn by Richard C. Reid 

aboard American Airlines flight 63;

Richard C. Reid; FBI test-blast of

comparable explosive charge. 

DECEMBER 11, 2001

Zacarias Moussaoui Indicted on Conspiracy

Charges Related to the September 11 Terrorist

Attacks

On December 11, 2001, Zacarias Moussaoui

was indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia on six

counts, including conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism. The indictment alleges that Moussaoui, a

French citizen of Moroccan descent, was involved in

the conspiracy which resulted in the September 11,

2001 attack on the World Trade Center and the

Pentagon. Moussaoui is alleged to have trained in a

terrorist training camp run by Al-Qaeda and conspired with several of the 19 hijackers who participated in the attacks.

DECEMBER 22, 2001

Arrest of Alleged Shoe Bomber

On December 22, 2001, Richard C. Reid was

arrested after flight attendants on American Airlines

flight 63 observed him apparently attempting to

ignite an improvised explosive device in his sneakers

while onboard the Paris-to-Miami flight. Aided by

passengers, the attendants overpowered and subdued

Reid and the flight was diverted to Logan

International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts.

Reid, who was traveling on a valid British passport,

has been indicted on nine counts, including placing

an explosive device on an aircraft and attempted

murder. FBI investigation has determined that the

explosives in Reid's shoes, if detonated in certain

areas of the passenger cabin, could have blown a hole

in the fuselage of the aircraft. Reid's indictment

charges that he trained in camps operated by 

Al-Qaeda. 
TERRORISM

3 2 YEA RS TI M ELI N

26 E

ANTI-HIJACKING 

ACT

PASSED

26

BOMBING

of

U.S. SENATE BUILDINGS;

no injuries

KIDNAPPING of

PATTY HEARST

by SYMBIONESE LIBERATION 

ARMY

BOMBING

of

U.S. SENATE BUILDINGS;

no injuries

KIDNAPPING of

PATTY HEARST

by SYMBIONESE LIBERATION 

ARMY

TRENDS IN ANIMAL RIGHTS AND 

ENVIRONMENTAL EXTREMISM

uring the past several years, the violence and destructive activities perpetrated by animal rights and environmental extremists in the United States and

elsewhere have increased in frequency and intensity. These extremists have

used arson, harassment, death threats, animal releases, and razor blade threat letters

to intimidate individuals and businesses they perceive to be abusive to animals or

destructive to the environment. The victims include, but are not limited to, fur

farmers and retailers, research laboratories and personnel, circuses, zoos, fast food

restaurants, forestry services, and large corporations. These terrorist acts are committed by persons and groups who believe all animals and all parts of the ecosystem,

no matter how small or seemingly inconsequential, have the right to exist, be

respected, and be protected from destruction by humanity. The use of violent criminal means to achieve these goals represents a departure from the larger and more

mainstream animal welfare and environmental movements, which support the

humane treatment of animals and the protection of the environment and its

resources, but operate within existing laws to promote these causes. 

Animal rights extremists in the United States often claim their actions on

behalf of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). The ALF’s ideology is one of unwavering support for the liberation of captive animals by any means, including criminal activity. ALF activists in the United States have generally adhered to the

movement’s stated mandate of protecting human life during the course of its “direct

actions” while simultaneously causing severe economic damage to various retailers,

fur farms, laboratories, and other animal enterprises. 

The emphasis placed upon economic damage underscores a very practical

aspect of the movement's approach to terrorism. ALF activists engage in very few 

AUGUST 5, 1974

IN FOCUS

MARCH 1, 1971 FEBRUARY 5, 1974

BOMBING of 

FRAUNCES TAVERN

on WALL STREET

4 killed 53 injured 4 killed 53 injured

JANUARY 24, 1975

D
27

FIRST RECORDED ATTACK of RIGHT-WING 

ANTIGOVERNMENT GROUP

(Sheriff’s Possee Comitatus)

in Medina, North Dakota in Medina, North Dakota 

NATIONAL SECURITY DECISION

DIRECTIVE 30

gives lead agency 

counterterrorism responsibilities to the FBI

(U.S. DEPARTMENT of JUSTICE)

FBI 

HOSTAGE RESCUE TEAM

ESTABLISHED

FIRST

FBI JOINT

TERRORISM TASK FORCE

ESTABLISED in 

NEW YORK

BOMBING of

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

building in

WASHINGTON, D.C.

no injuries

BOMBING of

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

building in

WASHINGTON, D.C.

no injuries

JANUARY 29, 1975 MAY 1980 JANUARY 1982

1 See the ALF “Diary of 

Actions” at 

www.enviroweb.org/ALFIS.

2 Bent L. Smith, Terrorism in 

America: Pipe Bombs and Pipe

Dreams (Albany, N.Y.: State

University of New York Press,

1994), p. 1349.

3 Constance Holden, “Animal

rightists trash MSU lab,”

American Association for the

Advancement of Science,

vol. 255, no. 5050, p. 1349.

“symbolic” acts of terrorism; instead, the movement’s attacks are specifically

designed to cause a sufficient level of economic hardship to drive individual enterprises out of operation. Thus, the most likely targets of ALF terrorism are very

specifically chosen. That is, ALF activists will not merely attack a university where

animal research is conducted, but rather will attempt to locate the specific laboratory at the university where the research is being conducted, free the experimental

animals, and subsequently destroy research data and equipment or the facility itself.

Rather than simply “send a message,” these actions are designed to bring about an

end to the perceived animal abuse. 

ALF activities in the United States during the past 25 years have included

a wide variety of tactics with a broad range of sophistication. A review of the

movement's literature, which includes a running tally of ALF activities nationally

and internationally, indicates a significant level of criminal activity ranging from

graffiti, broken windows, and other acts of petty vandalism to pipe-bombings, largescale mink releases, destruction of research documentation, and arson.1

ALF has a considerable history of committing low-level criminal activity in

the United States dating back to the 1970s. However, ALF's activities began to fall

under increased federal scrutiny in the late 1980s, in the aftermath of an arson at

the Veterinary Medicine Research Building at the University of California-Davis in

April 1987. ALF claimed responsibility for the attack, which resulted in an estimated $3.5 million in damages.2 At the time, this arson represented one of the

most destructive acts of animal rights extremism in American history, although in

recent years, the group has claimed responsibility for a number of arson attacks that

have been equally destructive. In August 1992, for example, ALF extremists raided

the campus of Michigan State University and set fire to an office, destroying files

containing 32 years of toxicology and nutrition research.3 The ALF also claimed

responsibility for the July 1997 arson of a horse-rendering plant in Redmond,

Oregon, which resulted in over $1 million in damage to the physical plant and

caused significant secondary costs resulting from the loss of revenue normally generated by the facility. In May 1998 the ALF claimed responsibility for an attack on a

processing plant owned by Florida Veal Processors, Inc., in Wimauma, which caused

approximately $500,000 in damage.

Although ALF activists have carried out numerous multimillion dollar

arson attacks, the ALF has also consistently targeted fur farms in a campaign of animal “liberations.” The ALF Information Service web site provides information

detailing how and when to strike a fur farm. Individuals interested in “hitting” a

APRIL 10, 1982 FEBRUARY 13, 1983

TERRORISM

3 2 YEA RS TI M ELI N

27 E
TERRORISM

3 2 YEA RS TI M ELI N E

BOMBING of the 

MARINE BARRACKS in

BEIRUT, LEBANON

241 U.S. Marines Killed

COMPREHENSIVE CRIME 

CONTROL ACT gives 

FBI JURISDICTION

to PURSUE TERRORISTS 

WHO TAKE AMERICANS HOSTAGE

WELLS-FARGO 

ARMORED CAR 

ROBBERY 

NETS LOS MACHETEROS

$7.2 MILLION

BOMBING of the U.S. EMBASSY 

in 

BEIRUT, LEBANON

63 killed

BOMBING of the

U.S. EMBASSY ANNEX

in BEIRUT, LEBANON

14 killed

TERRORISM

3 2 YEA RS TI M ELI N E

SEPTEMBER 16, 1983 OCTOBER 23, 1983 MAY 1984

fur farm are encouraged to scout out the farm to determine the types of security

measures in place, the best time to target a facility, and when pelting will begin

(the web site explains that security measures are typically increased during pelting

season). The web site further explains that fur farmers may relax security precautions after pelting season, and that “if at all possible pelting/skinning/feed sheds can

be burned to the ground or have extensive damage done to them by using paint or

acid. Pelting machines, equipment and feeding tractors can also be damaged.”4

The ALF’s attacks against animal enterprises are closely emulated by the

movement's environmental counterpart, the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). While

the level of cross-affiliation between the two movements is unclear at this time,

extremists adhering to ALF and ELF ideologies often use the same tactics and

spokespersons, suggesting some degree of interaction and, perhaps, coordination. In

addition, the web sites of the two movements often intermingle claims of responsibility for destructive activities, further suggesting some level of operational coordination. 

The ELF specifically advocates arson and the destruction of

laboratories/research facilities that use animals for scientific study, fur farms, horse

ranches, meat-processing plants, and corporations associated with the forest and

logging industry. Collectively, the ELF refers to these acts as “monkeywrenching.” 

According to ELF literature posted on the ALF Frontline News Service, the

ELF movement is an “international underground organization consisting of

autonomous groups of people who carry out direct action according to E.L.F. guidelines.” These guidelines, posted on the ELF web site, are as follows: 

I. to inflict economic damage to those who profit from the 

destruction and exploitation of the natural environment; 

II. to reveal and educate the public on the atrocities 

committed against the environment and all the species 

which cohabitate in it; and 

III. to take all necessary precautions against harming any 

animal, human and non-human. 

APRIL 18, 1983 SEPTEMBER 20, 1984

BOMBING of the 

MARINE BARRACKS in

BEIRUT, LEBANON

241 U.S. Marines Killed

4 www.animalliberation.net

28
FAWAZ YOUNIS RENDERED

from CYPRUS for HIJACKING 

a

ROYAL JORDANIAN AIRLINER ROYAL JORDANIAN AIRLINES

FIRST RECORDED ALF ATTACK 

in the

UNITED STATES

(Davis, California)

OMNIBUS DIPLOMATIC SECURITY

and ANTITERRORISM ACT 

EXPANDS FBI JURISDICTION 

to include 

violence against U.S. NATIONALS ABROAD

TWA 847 HIJACKED

U.S. NAVY DIVER

killed

THE ORDER LEADER

ROBERT JAY MATHEWS

DIES

in CONFRONTATION with LAW ENFORCEMENT

The group’s literature also claims that the ELF “operates in groups called

cells that may consist of one to many individuals working together. Each cell is

autonomous not only to the public, but also to one another. This secure structure

helps to keep activists out of jail and free to continue conducting actions.”

Through acts of sabotage, the ELF’s goal is to inflict as much economic damage as

possible on corporations whose interests are perceived to be at odds with the environment.5

The ELF may be best known for the October 19, 1998

arson fires at the Vail Ski Resort in Vail, Colorado, in which

four ski lifts, a restaurant, a picnic facility, and a utility building were destroyed. The fires were set at multiple structures

in two different locations on the top of Vail Mountain (elevation approximately 11,200 feet). Total structural loss was

estimated at approximately $12 million. On October 21,

1998, the ELF, claiming sole responsibility for the arson on

behalf of the lynx, sent an e-mail message to several news

agencies in Colorado. The message warned that further

action would be taken if necessary.

Violent extremism on behalf of animal rights and the

environment is clearly on the rise in the United States. Much like terrorist groups of the past, animal rights and environmental terrorists are adopting

increasingly militant positions with respect to their ideology and chosen tactics.

Terrorists who engage in criminal activity on behalf of these causes have continued

to distinguish themselves from their counterparts in the mainstream animal welfare

and conservation movements, who oppose the inhumane treatment of animals and

environmental degradation but choose legal and nonviolent means of opposition. 

Given the increasing frequency and intensity in activity, law enforcement

officials are increasingly faced with the challenge to respond to animal rights and

ecoterrorism at the local, state, and national levels. Investigations of extremist acts

perpetrated by the ALF and the ELF pose formidable challenges, given the focus of

these movements on evidence destruction, secrecy, and operational 

security.

DECEMBER 8, 1984 SEPTEMBER 14, 1985 AUGUST 27, 1986 APRIL 16, 1987 JUNE 1987

5 The Seattle Times “EcoTerrorism, Radical environmentalists’ sabotage has cost

business, developers millions,” 

May 1, 2000. 

TERRORISM

3 2 YEA RS TI M ELI N

29 E
TERRORISM

3 2 YEA RS TI M ELI N

30 E

ARREST of 

EIGHT SUBJECTS PLOTTING 

to 

BOMB NEW YORK CITY 

LANDMARKS

BOMBING of the

WORLD TRADE CENTER

in NEW YORK CITY

6 killed

1000+ injured

BOMBING of the

WORLD TRADE CENTER

in NEW YORK CITY

6 killed

1000+ injured

ASSASSINATION

of 

RABBI MEIR KAHANE,

founder of the

JEWISH DEFENSE LEAGUE, in NEW YORK CITY

TERRORIST THREAT 

WARNING SYSTEM 

ESTABLISHED

BOMBING of PAN AM 103 

over

LOCKERBIE, SCOTLAND

217 Americans killed

DECEMBER 21, 1988 OCTOBER 13, 1989

THE USA PATRIOT ACT

n October 26, 2001, the President signed the “Uniting and Strengthening

America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct

Terrorism Act of 2001” (USA PATRIOT Act).6 This major piece of legislation, drafted in direct response to the terrorist attack of September 11, consists of

more than 150 sections. The Act is far-reaching in the areas of law it touches.

Changes were made to national security authorities, the substantive criminal law,

immigration law, money-laundering statutes, victim assistance statutes, as well as

other areas. Summarized below are some of the major changes the Act made to

bolster the FBI's capabilities in the fight against terrorism. 

On the national security front, the modifications made by the USA

PATRIOT Act were geared toward improving the process by which federal law

enforcement officials obtain legal authority for conducting surveillance and searching for agents of a foreign power; strengthening the sharing and coordinating of

information at the national level; and issuing subpoenas for certain records associated with national security investigations. 

The Act made several amendments to the “Foreign Intelligence

Surveillance Act of 1978” (FISA).7 FISA provides a formal procedure, approved

by Congress, for the government to obtain court orders authorizing the use of electronic surveillance and physical searches within the United States to obtain “foreign intelligence information.”8 In practice, the language of the statute was interpreted over the years to mean that the gathering of foreign intelligence information, as opposed to criminal prosecution, had to be the “primary” purpose for

requesting surveillance or search authority under FISA. Section 218 of the “USA

PATRIOT Act” altered this so that the gathering of foreign intelligence now must

be a "significant" purpose for requesting an order from the FISA Court. The practical effect of this change is to allow personnel involved in FISA surveillance or

searches to consult with law enforcement officials to coordinate efforts to investigate or protect against attacks, terrorism, sabotage, or clandestine intelligence

activities. 

Other modifications made to FISA by the USA PATRIOT Act include the

expansion of the number of judges who review applications for FISA orders from

seven to 11; extension of the duration of electronic surveillance and search orders

on certain categories of individuals determined to be “agents of a foreign power”;

granting of “roving” authority which allows the FBI to efficiently serve orders on

NOVEMBER 5, 1990 FEBRUARY 26, 1993 JUNE 24, 1993

O

6 For additional information

of all the changes referenced

herein see Public Law 107-56.

7 See generally 50 U.S.C. 

1801-1811 and 1821-1829

(2001).

8 The FISA statute defines two

types of “foreign intelligence

information.” The first type

includes information that

relates to (or in the case of a

U.S. person, is necessary to) the

ability of the United States to

protect against sabotage, international terrorism, clandestine

intelligence activities by an

intelligence service or network,

or actual or potential attack or

other grave hostile acts by a foreign power or an agent of a foreign power. The second type of

foreign intelligence information

included information that

relates to (or in the case of a

U.S. person, is necessary to) the

national defense or security of

the Nation or conduct of the

foreign affairs of the United

States. 
TERRORISM

3 2 YEA RS TI M ELI N E

BOMBING of

CENTENNIAL OLYMPIC PARK

2 killed 

112 injured

FBI

COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER

ESTABLISHED

at

FBI HEADQUARTERS

ANTI-TERRORISM and 

EFFECTIVE DEATH PENALTY ACT

PASSED

PRESIDENTIAL 

DECISION DIRECTIVE 39

confirmed and clarified

FBI‘s

COUNTERTERRORISM ROLE

JUNE 21, 1995

PRESIDENTIAL 

DECISION DIRECTIVE 39

confirmed and clarified

FBI‘s

COUNTERTERRORISM ROLE

BOMBING 

of the

OKLAHOMA CITY FEDERAL BUILDING

168 killed

642 injured

communications carriers and thus meet the challenges posed by agents of a foreign

power who rapidly switch telephone carriers, cell phones, or Internet accounts as a

way of thwarting surveillance; and modification to the legal standard for compelling the production and type of business records. 

The USA PATRIOT Act changed key features of existing National

Security Letter (NSL) authority. NSLs are a type of subpoena issued in foreign

counterintelligence and international terrorism investigations to obtain records

under the statutory authority of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (telephone and Internet Service Provider records), the Right to Financial Privacy Act

(financial institution records), and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (records from

credit bureaus). Congress changed the legal standard for this authority to require

that the information sought be relevant to an ongoing investigation to protect

against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities. The change

in predication for this investigative tool allowed the FBI Director to delegate signature authority for NSLs to the Special Agents in Charge of FBI field offices. 

The Act also created a new definition of “domestic terrorism,” in order to

correspond to the existing definition of “international terrorism.” The term is

defined to mean activities occurring primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of

the United States involving acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the

criminal laws of the United States or any state and appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction,

assassination, or kidnapping. 

On the criminal side, the definition of a federal crime of terrorism was

modified to include several offenses likely to be committed by terrorists, including a

number of aircraft violence crimes and certain computer crimes. New federal

offenses include attacks on mass transportation systems, vehicles, facilities or passengers; harboring or concealing persons who have committed or are about to commit a variety of terrorist offenses; expansion of the prohibition on providing material support or resources to terrorists to include expert advice and assistance; and possessing a biological agent or toxin of a type or in a quantity that is not reasonably

justified for specifically defined purposes. Additionally, the “International Money

Laundering Abatement and Financial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001” was incorporated into the USA PATRIOT Act and was intended to significantly increase the

United States’ ability to combat the financing of terrorism. 

In making these modifications to existing laws, Congress intended to

APRIL 19, 1995 APRIL 24, 1996 APRIL 24, 1996 JULY 27, 1996

31
TERRORISM

3 2 YEA RS TI M ELI N

32 E

EXPANDED 

NATIONAL 

THREAT WARNING SYSTEM

replaces TTWS

NATIONAL 

DOMESTIC

PREPAREDNESS OFFICE

established

BOMBING of U.S. EMBASSIES

in KENYA and TANZANIA

12 Americans killed

7 injured

FBI CITAC

replaced by

NATIONAL 

INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION 

CENTER

FBI COMPUTER INVESTIGATION

and

INFRASTRUCTURE THREAT CENTER (CITAC)

ESTABLISED 

at FBI HEADQUARTERS

EXPANDED 

NATIONAL 

THREAT WARNING SYSTEM

replaces TTWS

NATIONAL 

DOMESTIC

PREPAREDNESS OFFICE

established

BOMBING of U.S. EMBASSIES

in KENYA and TANZANIA

12 Americans killed

7 injured

FBI CITAC

replaced by

NATIONAL 

INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION 

CENTER

FBI COMPUTER INVESTIGATION

and

INFRASTRUCTURE THREAT CENTER (CITAC)

ESTABLISED 

at FBI HEADQUARTERS

strengthen the capabilities of federal law enforcement in the fight against terrorism

while simultaneously protecting civil liberties. All FBI investigations are authorized

in accordance with strict guidelines set down by the Attorney General of the

United States. One set of these guidelines, the Guidelines on General Crimes,

Racketeering Enterprises, and Terrorism Enterprise Investigations, makes clear that

investigations of suspected terrorists will not be carried out on the basis of race, ethnicity, or religious affiliation. Additionally, the amended legal authorities stipulate

that no investigation of a U.S. person may be conducted solely on the basis of activities protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. 

JULY 1996 FEBRUARY 26, 1998 AUGUST 7, 1998 OCTOBER 16, 1998 JANUARY 4, 1999
TERRORISM

3 2 YEA RS TI M ELI N E

OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBER

TIMOTHY MCVEIGH

executed;

first federal execution 

in 38 years

BOMBING of

USS COLE;

17 killed

at least 40 injured

ARREST of

AHMED RESSAM

entering the UNITED STATES

from CANADA

with EXPLOSIVES

FBI COUNTERTERRORISM

DIVISION

established at

FBI HEADQUARTERS

BOMBING of

USS COLE;

17 killed

at least 40 injured

ARREST of

AHMED RESSAM

entering the UNITED STATES

from CANADA

with EXPLOSIVES

FBI COUNTERTERRORISM

DIVISION

established at

FBI HEADQUARTERS

OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBER

TIMOTHY MCVEIGH

executed;

first federal execution 

in 38 years

he preceding summary of terrorism-related events and investigations offers a

picture of the FBI's response to domestic and international terrorism during

2000 and 2001. In keeping with a longstanding trend, domestic extremists

carried out the majority of terrorist incidents during this period. Twenty of the

22 recorded instances of terrorism and the three terrorist preventions in the

United States and its territories in 2000 and 2001 were perpetrated by domestic terrorists, predominantly by special interest extremists active in the animal rights and environmental movements. The acts committed by these extremists typically targeted

materials and facilities rather than persons. 

In contrast, the three major terrorist incidents of 2000 and 2001 continued a

trend in terrorism tactics and methodologies that began in the 1990s, in which terrorists have sought to inflict massive and indiscriminate casualties within civilian populations. In the 1990s this was evidenced in the 1993 bombing of New York’s World

Trade Center by international terrorists and the 1995 Oklahoma

City bombing perpetrated by

domestic terrorists, the latter of

which received a measure of legal

closure on June 11, 2001, with the

execution of Timothy McVeigh.

The three major terrorist attacks against U.S. interests during 2000 and 2001 also

resulted in numerous deaths and serious injuries. Two of these were acts of international terrorism carried out under the auspices of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network, which

already in the mid 1990s had emerged as the most pressing international terrorist threat

worldwide. These attacks by Al-Qaeda were the suicide bombing of the U.S. naval

destroyer USS Cole and the coordinated suicide attack using four hijacked U.S. commercial aircraft as missiles on September 11, 2001. The attack on September 11, which

claimed more lives than all previous acts of terrorism in the United States combined,

was the first successful act of international terrorism carried out in the United States

since the bombing of the World Trade Center in February 1993. The third lethal terrorist incident during this period involved the sending of the biological agent anthrax

through the U.S. postal system during fall 2001. These anthrax mailings represented

the first fatal terrorist use of a biological agent in the United States. The investigation

TERRORISM

3 2 YEA RS TI M ELI N E

NOVEMBER 21, 1999 DECEMBER 14, 1999 OCTOBER 12, 2000 JUNE 11, 2001 SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

AL-QAEDA OPERATIVES HIJACK and CRASH

4 COMMERCIAL AIRLINERS

into WORLD TRADE CENTER,

PENTAGON, and STONY CREEK TOWNSHIP, PA.

2,783 killed

CONCLUSION

T

AL-QAEDA OPERATIVES HIJACK and CRASH

4 COMMERCIAL AIRLINERS

into WORLD TRADE CENTER,

PENTAGON, and STONY CREEK TOWNSHIP, PA.

2,783 killed

33
TERRORISM

3 2 YEA RS TI M ELI N

34 E

ZACARIAS MOUSSAOUI

INDICTED

on 6 Counts of

CONSPIRACY for his

role in 9/11/01

ANTHRAX-TAINTED LETTERS

sent through U.S. POSTAL SYSTEM

18 infected - 5 deaths

FIRST CRIMINAL USE

of a BIOLOGICAL TOXIN

FIRST CRIMINAL USE 

of a BIOLOGICAL TOXIN 

EXECUTIVE ORDER

13224 enacted

BLOCKING

TERRORIST ASSESTS

ZACARIAS MOUSSAOUI

INDICTED

on 6 Counts of

CONSPIRACY for his

role in 9/11/01

FALL 2001 SEPTEMBER 23, 2001 OCTOBER 7, 2001 OCTOBER 10, 2001 OCTOBER 26, 2001 DECEMBER 12, 2001

into the anthrax mailings continues, and they as yet remain unclassified as either a

domestic or international terrorist incident. 

These major incidents, and the continued commitment of terrorist groups

like Al-Qaeda to attempt acts of mass destruction, led the FBI and U.S.

Government to strengthen existing counterterrorism measures and initiate new

procedures at the end of 2001. On October 7, the U.S. Government initiated military action in Afghanistan to destroy the Al-Qaeda training facilities in that country and to overthrow the illegitimate Taliban regime that had provided Al-Qaeda

with support and safehaven since 1996. On October 10, the FBI established a

Most Wanted Terrorists List of 22 names to focus global attention on indicted terrorist suspects involved in the commission of acts of terrorism against the United

States. On October 26, the U.S. Government enacted the USA PATRIOT Act--

legislation that has been instrumental in helping law enforcement counter the 

terrorist threat. On October 29, the interagency Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task

Force was created to deny known terrorists and their supporters entry into the

United States and to track them should they gain entry. In December 2001 the

FBI merged the analytical resources of its Investigative Services Division into the

Counterterrorism Division to improve its ability to gather, analyze, and share critical national security information with the broader Intelligence Community and the

FBI’s law enforcement partners. At the beginning of the 21st century the problem

of terrorism has become a global one, and the FBI continues to improve the capacity of its counterterrorism program to accurately assess and effectively counter the

dynamic variety of domestic and international terrorist threats.

UNITED STATES 

begins

MILITARY ACTION

in

AFGHANISTAN

UNITED STATES

USA PATRIOT ACT

PASSED 

INTO LAW

FBI

establishes

MOST WANTED

TERRORISTS LIST

USA PATRIOT ACT

PASSED 

INTO LAW

FBI

establishes

MOST WANTED 

TERRORISTS LIST
TERRORISM 2000/2001

35
TERRORISM 2000/2001

36
TERRORISM 2000/2001

37
TERRORISM 2000/2001

38
TERRORISM 2000/2001

39
U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation

935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20535-0001

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

TERRORISM

2000/2001

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