May 19, 2007 4:49 pm US/Mountain
SUV Firebombing Suspect May Have Ecoterror Ties
by Rick Sallinger
DENVER (CBS4) ―
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Evelyn Bishop's vehicle was targeted by the suspect police believe to be Grant Barnes.
CBS
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Grant Barnes was taken into custody in March.
CBS
Denver arson investigators have new evidence that could connect the man charged with setting fire to SUVs in Cherry Creek North with ecoterrorism groups.
Investigators say Grant Barnes, 24, placed firebombs under several SUVs during a four day period in March. No one was hurt and only a few detonated, but several vehicles were heavily damaged in the fires that resulted. Barnes remains jailed on arson charges.
At least one of the damaged vehicles had the letters ELF on it, which stands for Earth Liberation Front, the group best known in Colorado for claiming responsibility for the massive fire atop Vail mountain in 1998.
One of the cars targeted that had ELF on it belonged to Chris Dykes.
"It was on my window -- ELF," Dykes told CBS4. "I didn't even hear of ecoterrorism before that."
Denver Fire Department officials initially down played any possible link with ecoterror. However, a search warrant affidavit now suggests Barnes used an Earth Liberation Front Web site and an Animal Liberation Front Web site to get instructions on how to build firebombs.
A request to search Barnes computer that's part of the affadavit also contains copied photos of suspicious devices found in Barnes' car.
Explosives expert Mark Singer told CBS4 it appears the person who built the firebombs followed the Web site instructions step-by-step.
"They are a very crude device and they are also very effective when they function," Singer said.
Investigators want to search Barnes computer for any correspondence or bank records that could link him with the ecoterrorist groups.
Russell Bishop and his wife Evelyn got lucky. They found one of the firebombs beneath their Hummer and it did not go off.
"They're not just burning up a car," Bishop said. "They're risking people's lives."
Authorities with the Denver Fire Department declined to comment, saying this investigation is at a critical point.
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