MIDWEST GREEN SCARE !!!! : Cleveland IMC (((i)))

Five accused of arsons in Michigan Urgent ELP! Bulletin (11th of March 2008) Dear friends News is coming in of a number of raids/arrests involving American environmentalists. The raids appear to be linked to an arson at Michigan State University in 1999 and another arson at a logging site in 2000. Both arsons where claimed at the time by the Earth Liberation Front. Well known American Earth First! activist, Frank Ambrose, (who has been wrongfully accused of ELF actions in the past) told ELP he has been charged on three counts of arson and conspiracy to commit arson. Other people listed in the indictment include Marie Mason, Aren Berthwick, Stephanie Sultz, and an "un-named participant known to the grand jury." At this moment in time ELP is unaware of what has happened to Aren Berthwick or Stephanie Sultz, but we are aware that Maria Mason has also been arrested and is currently in custody in Ohio and is expected to be extradited to Michigan. If anyone knows anything about Aren or Stephanie please contact ELP as soon as possible. ELP will keep you up to date with this news as we get it. In the meantime please send letters of support to: MARIE MASON #134001Butler County Sheriff's Office & Correctional Complex705 Hanover StreetHamilton, Ohio 45011USA ++++++++++++ Earth Liberation Prisoners Support NetworkBM Box 2407LondonWC1N 3XXEngland<http://www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk>http://www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk *************************************************************************http://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Releases/Michigan+State+University+Arsonists+Charged/3449079.html March 11, 2008 2:52 PM EDT Indictment alleges the arsons were committed on behalf of 'Earth Liberation Front' GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the grounds of Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing, Michigan, United States Attorney Charles R. Gross; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena; MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon; and MSU Police Department Chief James H. Dunlap, announced the unsealing today of a 4-count felony Indictment charging four defendants with conspiracy to commit arson, aggravated arson, and arson in connection with the December 31, 1999, arson of Agriculture Hall on the main campus of MSU and the January 1, 2000, arson of commercial logging equipment near Mesick, Michigan. The defendants are Marie Jeanette Mason, 46, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Frank Brian Ambrose, 33, of Detroit, Michigan; Aren Bernard Burthwick, 27, of Detroit, Michigan; and Stephanie Lynne Fultz, 27, of Detroit, Michigan. According to the Indictment, the four conspired to commit the MSU arson in order to destroy federally-funded plant genetic research being conducted by university employees, and Mason and Ambrose then carried out the arson. The Indictment alleges that the four also conspired to destroy commercial logging equipment in order to sabotage lumbering activity, and that all four Defendants then carried out the arson. The Indictment alleges that both actions were committed on behalf of the "Earth Liberation Front (ELF)," a loosely-organized movement of environmental extremists with a history of destroying property, often by arson, in order to intimidate and coerce communities, businesses, and governments into abandoning activities that ELF adherents consider harmful to the environment. "The Indictment we are announcing today is a testament to the perseverance, dedication and hard work of law enforcement professionals at both the state and federal level," said United States Attorney Gross. FBI Special Agent in Charge Arena added that "This investigation has been ongoing for almost a decade and it should be a reminder to all that the FBI does not allow the passage of time to thwart our ability to apply our full resources to a case. In particular, domestic terrorism is a top priority of the FBI and we will continue to aggressively investigate and pursue prosecution of all such matters. We would also like to thank the MSU Police Department for its cooperation throughout this investigation." Speaking for the University, MSU President Simon observed that "This was more than an attack on a building and the destruction of valuable property. It was an assault on the core value of free and open inquiry at a research university. We always must be open to ideas that challenge our own, but what we must never allow are disruptions meant to shut down the open marketplace of ideas." Commenting on the MSU Police Department's significant role in the investigation, Chief Dunlap explained "This was a significant act of domestic terrorism which caused more than a million dollars in damage to facilities and loss of research records. As a result, the University dedicated an unprecedented amount of resources and personnel to investigate this crime, and the Michigan State University Police Department appreciates the cooperation of both the FBI and the United States Attorney's Office in the joint investigation of this case and the resulting Federal Indictment." The case is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant United States Attorney Hagen W. Frank. The charges in an Indictment are only allegations of criminal conduct, and the Defendants are presumed innocent until their guilt is established in court by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. <http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/miw>http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/miw SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

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