This was a big problem and getting bigger through the 1980s and 90s. Most of their crimes took place in podunk jurisdictions and they were extremely mobile. Their activities crossed multiple state lines and there was no serious effort to deal with them. Of course, they had many sympathizers and when actually caught, they were regarded indulgently and were all too often treated with teenage vandals and let off with wrist slaps.
As I recall, only after 9/11 was the concept of domestic terrorism taken seriously. Someone in the GWB administration must have finally made a phone call and a serious Federal, multi-jurisdictional effort was undertaken. Finally a few of these little scamps (imagine your typical OWSer) were run to earth, had the book thrown at them, and started singing like canaries. A whole bunch of “ELF’s” were rounded up and made to serve adult-sized prison sentences. They had some adoring Mother Jones and Rolling Stone, etc. articles written about them but as soon as the rest of the Birckenstock and blond dreadlocked set realized that they’d would indeed get caught and do hard time, these spectacular arson incidents went out of fashion.
Now, somebody thinks that happy days just might be here again. One doesn’t even have to ask what side Holder and the gang would come down on, but it’s obvious he has been unable to take over the FBI.
Yep, The Family was busted and all but three caught, those three are still fugitives. The rest, I believe 14, got hard time and some are still in with years to serve in a Fed slammer.
They were mostly based in WA and OR but now the other groups in mostly Western states are crying like babies because their crimes are considered terrorism, they think that’s unfair, boohoo. LOL!