Eco-Terrorists Indicted for MSU Arson

(East Lansing, Michigan) Four people tied to the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) have been charged for alleged domestic terrorism in the December 1999 million-dollar arson of Agriculture Hall at Michigan State University.


MSU Agriculture Hall
Marie Jeanette Mason, 46, Frank Brian Ambrose, 33, Aren Bernard Burthwick, 27, and Stephanie Lynne Fultz, 27, were all indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy to commit arson, punishable by five to 20 years in prison. Mason and Ambrose also face two additional arson charges carrying a possible 40-year prison term.

MSU police and the FBI traveled "to more than 10 states and from coast to coast in the United States," to solve the case, MSU Police Chief James Dunlap said. However, authorities declined to say what happened recently that led to the arrests.

According to court documents, Mason and Ambrose attacked Agriculture Hall on December 31, 1999, one day after the four environmentalists met and plotted.

The two opened file cabinets, dousing papers with gasoline. They also poured gas on computers, files and the floor. Mason used black spray paint to write "No GMO" on the wall, short for "No Genetically Modified Organisms," according to the indictment.

Ambrose lit a crude fuse, which ignited gasoline fumes -- and Mason's hair. The two fled the building as it began to burn.

As fire crews from three jurisdictions battled the blaze, the pair drove back to Empire, where they met up with Burthwick and Fultz. Fultz, whose maiden name at the time was Dzagulones, cut Mason's shoulder-length hair.

The next day, the four defendants, along with an unidentified accomplice, drove to Mesick, where they torched a John Deere Hydro-Ax Shear and a commercial flatbed trailer on the side of the road, according to the indictment.

Using black spray paint, Dzagulones painted the letters "ELF" and the words "Log in Hell" and "Go Log in Hell" on the flat-bed trailer, authorities allege. That fire caused nearly $18,000 in damage.

ELF claimed responsibility for the MSU attack and said it was because of research on genetically engineered crops.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.