Free Republic

A 23-year-old Michigan man faces up to 10 years in jail for illegally possessing bombs, which he allegedly intended to use to destroy the Xcel Energy Center during the Republican National Convention. Matthew Bradley DePalma, of Flint, Mich., was charged Aug. 30 with one count of possession of firearms. According to his criminal complaint, DePalma had several Molotov cocktails in his possession a week before the start of the RNC. DePalma had been under investigation by federal investigators after he attended a protester conference in Wisconsin in July. Officials said DePalma went to the Hennepin County Library on Aug. 18...

TACOMA - A key participant in the 2001 arson that destroyed the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture was sentenced Friday to five years in federal prison. Jennifer L. Kolar, 33, of Seattle also was ordered to pay more than $7.1 million in restitution in connection with the fire, which also destroyed priceless research projects and endangered plants. The sentencing, by U.S. District Judge Franklin D. Burgess, came after Kolar pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit arson, two counts of arson, one count of attempted arson and using a destructive device during a crime of violence. Kolar was part...

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - There is a link between the high foreclosure rates in some states and the rash of arson incidents involving foreclosed homes, officials say. According to fire safety officials in Nevada, Massachusetts and Ohio, the seven-decade rise in the number of mortgage defaults is connected to the spate of blazes which destroyed the empty homes. In 2006, when the median price of a U.S. home peaked to $221,900 based on data from the National Association of Realtors, 31,000 arson cases were recorded the same year by the U.S. Fire Administration. In Ohio, fires that razed vacant units...

'We are going to ID you,' fire marshal warns AUSTIN — State officials are offering $50,000 for information resulting in the arrest of the arsonist who set fire to the Governor's Mansion last week. State Fire Marshal Paul Maldonado also issued two appeals today — one for the public and another to the person responsible for the fire, which caused major damage to the 152-year-old mansion. "We do feel that you have a message, and we would like to hear from you," Maldonado said of the arsonist. "We are not quite sure what that message is, but please contact us....

Posted on Fri, Jun. 13, 2008 Fire marshal says video shows arson attack on Governor's Mansion By JOHN MORITZ Star-Telegram staff writer AUSTIN -- Whoever launched the Molotov cocktail that led to the devastating weekend fire at the Texas Governor's Mansion had breached the security fencing and was standing on the property's front lawn at the time of the attack, officials said Thursday. "There was an individual on the property," state Fire Marshal Paul Maldonado told reporters at a news briefing near the 152-year-old two-story mansion, which has been home to the past 40 governors of Texas. "The individual was...

Some security cameras at the Texas Governor's Mansion were "not operational" during an early morning fire Sunday that nearly destroyed the 152-year-old state treasure, according to a source familiar with the investigation. The source, who did not want to be identified because of the ongoing investigation, said other cameras at the property were properly working. Another source familiar with the investigation said a lone Texas Department of Safety trooper was on duty when the fire began and was stationed at the security booth in a carriage house behind the mansion. The source said authorities believe that trooper acted appropriately in...

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO -- The boyfriend of San Francisco's planning director pleaded no contest today to misdemeanor driving under the influence after he trashed the city's historic fire chief's home, drove away drunk and was pulled over in San Mateo County. Lance Farber, 48, was not present in court in South San Francisco and entered the plea through his attorney, San Mateo County prosecutors said. Farber was sentenced to three years' probation and two days in jail, one of which he has already served, Assistant District Attorney Morley Pitt said. Farber was also ordered to complete a first-offender DUI program,...

AUSTIN — State arson investigators said Monday they think they may have caught a glimpse of whoever set the weekend fire that badly damaged the Governor's Mansion after reviewing security camera footage from the historic home and surrounding buildings. State Fire Marshal Paul Maldonado said surveillance video showed at least one intruder was on the property when the blaze started. It's unclear whether the person who started the fire acted alone, he said. Authorities on Monday also released emergency dispatch recordings to 911 that revealed the first call reporting the fire came from a man who said he was leaving...

The Hunt for American al Qaeda The United States is turning up the heat in the hunt for the California boy turned al Qaeda operative, Adam Gadahn, who has been charged with treason and is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan. If caught and convicted, Gadahn could face the death penalty. The State Department along with the Department of Diplomatic Security announced the beginning of a publicity campaign in Afghanistan urging locals to provide any information on Gadahn's whereabouts, with a reward if the information leads to his capture. Radio advertisements with information concerning the $1 million reward have...

AUSTIN — An early morning fire at the Governor's Mansion today was intentionally set, a state fire investigator said. State Fire Marshal Paul Maldonado declined to discuss further details but said there was no indication the fire was intended as a direct threat to Gov. Rick Perry. No one was in the building, which has been closed several months for renovation, when the fire broke out. The governor has been living in a rented house in suburban Austin since last fall. He and his wife, Anita, are in Stockholm, Sweden, finishing up a weeklong, trade-related trip to Europe. The fire,...

Another New Jersey school principal -- the third educator in a month -- has been indicted on car arson charges in Essex County as prosecutors crack down on suspected insurance fraud. The charges against Amanda Wright-Stafford, principal of the Lincoln Avenue Elementary School in Orange, come as cases of auto insurance fraud are growing nationally, according to experts who blame the souring economy. Wright-Stafford, 51, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on charges she faked the theft of her 2000 Honda Passport, which was found burning in East Orange in 2006. An indictment handed up in Superior...

AUSTIN, Texas -- Arson is suspected in the fire that struck the historic Texas Governor's Mansion early today, causing damage that state officials described as "bordering on catastrophic," the state fire marshal said. No one was inside the 152-year-old mansion at the time, said Robert Black, a spokesman for Gov. Rick Perry. The mansion had been undergoing a $10 million renovation, and Perry and his wife, Anita, had moved out last fall. "We have some evidence that indicates that we do have an intentionally set fire," said state Fire Marshal Paul Maldonado. "So we believe that we may be looking...

MOBILE — Joshua Mullen just wanted to kill the bees swarming around his utility shed. When Mullen, 26, walked away from the gasoline-soaked towels he was using, he heard a "whoosh" and turned around to see the shed in flames that spread to his rented home and wound up causing some $80,000 in damage. "There were no injuries, unless you count the bees," Mobile Fire-Rescue spokesman Steve Huffman said. Huffman said the fire appears to have started when the pilot light of a hot-water heater in the shed ignited fumes from the gas. Mullen, who rented the home after his...

PORTLAND, Ore. - An environmental activist and former fugitive who once won thousands of votes in a congressional election pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges under a deal that would send him to prison for two years. Tre Arrow, 34, pleaded guilty to the destruction of concrete-mixing trucks in Portland in April 2001 and to firebombing logging trucks at a contested logging sale near Mount Hood in June 2001. He had faced up to 40 years in prison if convicted of two counts of arson. In a separate case, a radical environmentalist who helped federal officials round up a militant...

The activist pleads guilty in two arsons and will serve at the Sheridan federal prisonTre Arrow, a radical environmentalist who was once one of the FBI's most-wanted fugitives, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of arson. Appearing before U.S. District Judge James Redden, Arrow agreed to serve to 78 months in federal prison, with credit for time served since March 2004 in jails in Canada and the United States. Arrow, who will be formally sentenced Aug. 12, will serve about two years and four months at the Sheridan Federal Correctional Institution. His sentence could be further reduced by 54 days...

Terry Lynn Barton has been released from prison after serving a six-year term for starting the worst wildfire in Colorado's recorded history. Barton, 44, pleaded guilty to arson charges stemming from the 2002 Hayman Fire, which blackened 138,000 acres, destroyed 133 homes and forced more than 8,000 people to evacuate. She was a fire spotter for the U.S. Forest Service at the time

Federal prosecutors are seeking a 10-year prison sentence for Briana Waters, a California woman convicted in March by a federal grant jury of assisting in the 2001 Earth Liberation Front arson that destroyed the University of Washington's Urban Horticulture Center. That recommendation includes a "terrorism enhancement," according to a sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors Wednesday in U.S. District Court. The UW arson sought to strike a blow against genetic engineering of poplar trees, and federal prosecutors say that meets the legal definition of a violent act "calculated to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion," according...

PORTLAND, Ore. – Tre Arrow, a radical environmentalist who was once one of the FBI's most-wanted fugitives, has announced on his Web site he has accepted a plea deal on federal arson and conspiracy charges. Arrow had entered a not guilty plea. His attorney, Paul T. Loney, confirmed on Wednesday Arrow “is changing his plea” and a hearing date has been set for next Tuesday. The U.S. Attorney's office in Portland did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Arrow, 34, who has legally changed his name from Michael Scarpitti, is charged in a 14-count federal indictment with helping to...

VIENNA, Austria — Austrian authorities say they are questioning 10 animal rights activists suspected of arson, sabotage and other crimes. Investigators say six of the suspects have been placed in pretrial detention for their alleged involvement in militant animal rights groups. Officials allege that the suspects are behind numerous arson fires and vandalism targeting food, clothing, pharmaceutical and agricultural companies. Prosecutors say the 10 were arrested earlier this week after a monthslong investigation into radical animal rights groups. Austrian media reported today that one of the suspects has begun a hunger strike while in custody. Investigators say the suspects used...

Firefighters are starting to have some problems this afternoon with area brushfires, especially in Brevard County. Two Palm Bay schools have been evacuated, and a fire near Malabar is drawing a lot of concern. Follow the updates on our Breaking News blog.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Terre Haute fire officials are investigating an early Friday morning fire that happened in downtown Terre Haute, destroying Senator Hillary Clinton's Terre Haute Campaign Headquarters. The fire broke out just after 12:30 a.m. Friday at the Westaff office building on 3rd Street. "When they arrived on the scene, flames were shooting out the tops of it, and the vehicle in front was also involved in the fire," Terre Haute Fire Department Public Information Officer John Gardner said. Gardner said two women were inside Clinton's headquarters when the fire started. They got out safely, but one...

Lance Farber, the fire-starting, tomato-tossing boyfriend of new San Francisco Planning Director John Rahaim, is out of jail - but only after the city took him to the cleaners. Farber, who had been sitting in jail for almost six weeks on $1 million bail, pleaded guilty last week to one count of unlawfully and recklessly starting a fire and one count of vandalism with over $400 in damage. The 47-year-old New Age chiropractor was accused of setting a bed on fire and tossing an open can of tomatoes through the city's historic fire chief's house - staining the walls -...

For nearly seven years, the nation has turned its terror focus on Al Qaeda and the hunt for Usama bin Laden. But there is a domestic terror threat that federal officials still consider priority No. 1 — eco-terrorism. The torching of luxury homes in the swank Seattle suburb of Woodinville earlier this month served as a reminder that the decades-long war with militant environmentalists on American soil has not ended. "It remains what we would probably consider the No. 1 domestic terrorism threat, because they have successfully continued to conduct different types of attacks in and around the country," said...

DALLAS – Three cars were set on fire in Oak Cliff overnight, the third time in less than a month that arsonists have targeted vehicles in neighborhoods south of Interstate 30. -snip-

After 28 years, Kano state still refuses to grant approval to beleaguered congregation. DAWAKIN KUDU, Nigeria, March 5 (Compass Direct News) – The Kano state government has refused to grant approval to a church in this northern Nigerian town for 28 years, further emboldening area Muslims to attack it numerous times, the pastor said. Since Christmas 2006, said pastor Jacob Bako of the local Evangelical Church of Christ in Nigeria, local Muslims have set fire to the congregation’s makeshift worship place three times. Due to the church’s lack of official permission, its worship place is located in an abandoned housing...

A jury has found Briana Waters guilty of two counts of arson in the 2001 burning of the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture by members of the Earth Liberation Front.....Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Bartlett says the case was a success now that more than a dozen people involved have been brought to justice. "I think it sends an incredibly strong message, and that is, when you choose to become involved in these types of eco-terrorist activities, you may get away for awhile, but eventually...we'll track you down and you will be held accountable," said Bartlett, The 32-year-old from...

In case you haven't heard, early this morning someone tossed an explosive at a Military Recruitment Center in Times Square. Whoever is found responsible should be tried for attempted arson, attempted murder, and something our government is unwilling to prosecute with, treason. An attack on the United States military is simply that, treason. The news from the Boston Herald: An explosive device caused minor damage to an empty military recruiting station in Times Square early Thursday, shaking guests in hotel rooms high above.Police blocked off the area to investigate the explosion, which occurred at about 3:45 a.m., shattering the station’s...

WOODINVILLE, Wash. - Three seven-figure dream homes went up in flames early Monday in a Seattle suburb, apparently set by eco-terrorists who left a sign mocking the builders' claims that the 4,000-plus-square-foot houses were environmentally friendly. The sign — a sheet marked with spray paint — bore the initials ELF, for Earth Liberation Front, a loose collection of radical environmentalists that has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks since the 1990s. The sheriff's office estimated that Monday's pre-dawn fires did $7 million in damage to the "Street of Dreams," a row of unoccupied, furnished luxury model homes where tens of...

Opening paragraph from the New York Times article on the eco-terrorists who burned three new homes north of Seattle today [emphasis added]: For people who are anti-sprawl activists — or have baser motives — a new-built house sitting empty in a previously rural area evidently makes a ripe target for an attack by fire. Consider also the article's headline "House Fires With a Message in the Northwest." Yes, think of it as a bonus. Not just a housefire . . . a housefire with a message!

WOODINVILLE, Wash. — Explosive devices were found inside luxury houses set ablaze Monday morning outside of Seattle, and police suspected that a well-known eco-terrorism group ignited the fires. The multi-million-dollar development known as "Street of Dreams" in Woodinville, Wash., burst into flames in the early morning hours, and Snohomish County crews fought to contain the blaze. The Earth Liberation Front, known for violent acts in the name of environmentalism, left a sign at the scene and was suspected to have set fire to the swanky, newly built neighborhood. The Federal Bureau of Investigation released a statement saying that the FBI,...

KING Staff and Wire Reports WOODINVILLE, Wash. - Four large homes are burning at a "Street of Dreams" model home development north of Woodinville. Snohomish County District Seven Chief Rick Eastman tells KING 5 that a sign saying ELF was left at the scene. ELF or Earth Liberation Front has claimed responsibility for other arsons, including one at the University of Washington in 2001 for which a woman is now on trial in Tacoma. KINGA massive fire burned at least four large homes at a "Street of Dreams" model home development north of Woodinville early Monday. No injuries have been...

GRAND RAPIDS -- An open door and footprints in the snow raised suspicions about the fire that destroyed a vacant three-story warehouse early Thursday morning just south of downtown. Firefighters were called about 2:19 a.m. to 300 Front Ave. SW and found smoke and flames coming from the building. Heavy smoke continued to pour from the building just north of Wealthy Street as crews worked to put the fire out. The building collapsed about an hour later, leaving "a pile of rubble," said Fire Battalion Chief Jerry Salatka. Fire investigators were called in, Salatka said. "When we arrived, we found...

She torched her home with her family inside to get the insurance money, avoid foreclosure and be with a new boyfriend, authorities said. But that was not enough to make Sheryl Christman see any jail time for the potential 20-year felony.

Bail was set at $1 million today for the San Francisco planning director's companion, who is accused of setting fire to historic Nob Hill residence of the fire chief where the couple were living. Lance Farber, 47, pleaded not guilty to felony arson and vandalism in a brief appearance at the Hall of Justice, shortly before Superior Court Judge John Conway set bail. "I am concerned that this is a public safety issue," the judge said. Farber was ordered to return to court Friday after being evaluated for migraine headaches. His lawyer said the headaches have worsened since Farber was...

It's a mix even Hollywood would be hard pressed to concoct - lies, love, sex and salvation. But don't go West, young man, in search of this intriguing cocktail. Just crack open the case file of John Wesley Irons, a 61-year-old Coker Creek man accused of setting hundreds of fires in Cherokee National Forest and torching some 50 structures, including the home of a U.S. Forest Service agent. In the latest twist in a case that began with what defense attorney Gregory P. Isaacs has contended was a deceptive seduction by U.S. Forest Service Agent Jane Wright and emotional blackmail...

Hockley County authorities say they've solved a string of intentionally set fires, but the suspects are surprising. Sheriff's deputies arrested 17-year-old Jeremy Solis late Sunday night. Solis and 22-year-old Noel Escobedo are charged with arson for allegedly setting several fires in the Ropesville area. Here's the shocker, both men are volunteer fire fighters in Ropesville. NewsChannel 11 told you about these fires earlier this month, when the sheriff's office asked for viewer tips to find the person setting these fires. There was even a $10,000 reward offered to get the suspect off the streets, but it turns out, all investigators...

The three men accused of painting symbols of hate on a Columbia mosque and then setting it on fire face federal charges Tuesday. Eric Baker, Michael Golden and Jonathan Stone are charged with unlawful possession of a destructive device. They are not charged with committing a hate crime. Investigators said the three used Molotov cocktails to set the Islamic Center of Columbia on fire early Saturday morning. The U.S. Attorney said the investigation is ongoing and at least one of the men belongs to a dangerous organization, aimed at spreading hate. Stone told investigators he's a member of the Christian...

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — An explosion and fire have destroyed two shops, including a Starbucks, and damaged at least four other businesses. Police said arson was the cause, adding that the fire was set inside a small taco restaurant and an accelerant set off the explosion. The explosion occurred inside the Taco Del Mar restaurant about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, destroying it and the neighboring Starbucks. The blast leveled a bus shelter and blew out the windows at a drugstore across the street and in a room at a nearby Holiday Inn. No serious injuries have been reported. "There was an...

Is the U.S. Failing in Afghanistan? It was malice in wonderland at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday as Bush Administration envoys insisted things are getting better in Afghanistan, while angry lawmakers from both parties cited facts and figures showing just the opposite. Even the senior Republican on the panel, Senator Richard Lugar, found the Administration's claims wanting. "I'm not sure that we have a plan for Afghanistan," he said. Long seen as the "forgotten war" eclipsed by Iraq in U.S. priorities, Afghanistan is in the Washington spotlight this week with the release of three independent reports concluding...

Swastikas, 'white power' found scrawled at scene COLUMBIA, Tenn. - A mosque was destroyed Saturday by a fire that federal investigators say appears to have been caused by arson. No one was injured. Investigators found drawings of swastikas and other graffiti at the Islamic Center of Columbia, said Special Agent Eric Kehn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Daoud Abudiab, president of the center, said authorities told him the fire probably started around 5 a.m. The graffiti included the words "white power" and "we run the world," Abudiab said.

Authorities in economically stressed cities see an increase in torched houses. Is the nation's mortgage mess transforming more Americans into criminals? Arson is nothing new in Detroit. It's a time-honored weapon of the angry, vengeful, distressed and dispossessed in a city that gets hurt harder and sooner than others, making it a perfect place to spot early evidence of stress from the real-estate meltdown. The Detroit Fire Department can't draw a definitive link between its rising arson rate (151 arrest warrants in 2007), rising foreclosures (up more than 65% last year) and falling housing prices (the region's median house price...

Arson is nothing new in Detroit. It's a time-honored weapon of the angry, vengeful, distressed and dispossessed in a city that gets hurt harder and sooner than others, making it a perfect place to spot early evidence of stress from the real-estate meltdown. The Detroit Fire Department can't draw a definitive link between its rising arson rate (151 arrest warrants in 2007), rising foreclosures (up more than 65% last year) and falling housing prices (the region's median house price dropped 17.3% in the past four years, to $145,173). But Capt. Steve Varnas of the department's arson section says he sees...

In May 2001, members of a Northwest group used arson to advance its agenda. They set fire to the Center for Urban Horticulture at the University of Washington because they believed one of the researchers was genetically engineering poplar trees. He wasn't. The arsonists destroyed plants and the research of several people other than the man whose work they targeted. None of their goals was served by the violence. "Misguided" is the word, I believe. I'd even call them ecoterrorists. The crime is back in the news because a woman accused of acting as a lookout for the Earth Liberation...

U.S. officials monitoring terrorist web sites have discovered a call for using forest fires as weapons against “crusader” nations, in what may explain some recent wildfires in places like southern California and Greece. A terrorist website was discovered recently that carried a posting that called for “Forest Jihad.” The posting was listed on the Internet on Nov. 26 and reported in U.S. intelligence channels last week. The statement, in Arabic, said that “summer has begun so do not forget the Forest Jihad.” The writer called on all Muslims in the United States, Europe, Russia and Australia to “start forest fires.”...

ALBANY, GA— The pastor of an Albany church was jailed Friday, charged with paying a man to set fire to his church, authorities said. The Rev. Joseph Howard III, 45, of Albany was charged Friday morning with one count of first-degree arson stemming from the New Year’s Eve fire that caused more than $150,000 in damage to the Trinity Metropolitan Baptist Church. Thursday, investigators charged Curtis Lee Jones, 41, of Albany with first-degree arson and said they believed he was responsible for actually igniting the church sanctuary. Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John Oxendine flew to Albany Friday to...

Supreme Court Justice Indicted In Home Arson Justice Charged With Tampering With Evidence HOUSTON -- Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina and his wife have been charged in an arson fire that destroyed their home in the Houston suburb of Spring last summer, their attorney said. The justice was indicted Thursday in the three-alarm fire that also damaged a neighbor's house and caused nearly $1 million worth of damage last June, his attorney, Terry Yates, said. Medina, 49, was charged with tampering with evidence and his wife, Francisca Medina, was charged with arson in the June 28 blaze. The Medinas...

Two men who authorities said dabbled in devil worship have been arrested in a rash of church arsons and vandalism in rural east Alabama, including scrawling on a Sunday school classroom wall: "Teach children to worship Satan!!" Geoffrey Parquette and James Clark, both 21, were arrested Sunday and entered not guilty pleas Monday. Friends at least since high school, the two from the Smiths community in Lee County were arrested after a stolen cross was found in Parquette's home and his grandmother alerted authorities, according to church members briefed by investigators. "These guys called themselves professed spiritual satanists," said Russell...

Four Fires Reported In Winsted WINSTED, Conn. -- Police were questioning three suspects younger than 15 in connection with a string of car fires in Winsted. Three car fires and one attempted car arson were reported in the town on Thursday and one on Christmas, according to police. -snip- Police said arsonists smashed the window of a Wendy's employee's car before setting it on fire from the inside. Employee Courtney Haynes told Eyewitness News that she discovered her car was burning when she went outside for a smoke break. "My other employee came out with me and I saw it...

Former Texas home of Bushes burned by arsonist 19 minutes ago A home where President George W. Bush lived as a young boy with his parents in Odessa, Texas, and that is now part of a presidential museum there was damaged on Thursday by a fire that investigators blamed on arson. "I can tell you it has been determined that it was intentionally set, but I cannot discuss anything about evidence or possible suspects because this is an ongoing criminal investigation," said city of Odessa spokeswoman Andrea Goodson. Museum administrator Lettie England said no motive for the blaze had been...

Two weeks ago, somebody broke into a Woodland church and stole donation money out of a safe. Last night vandals returned and did even more damage, including spray painting statues. Holy Rosary Catholic Church has stood at the corner of Walnut and Court Streets for more than a half century. Church volunteers spent today doing what they could to remove black spray paint from statues of Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of Jesus, and Jesus on the cross. One of the helpers just happened to be driving by, saw the damage, and asked for a washcloth. "It's just very, there...