[Ppnews] FBI Raids Activist House in Utah, Connected to Iowa ALF Investigation

[Political Prisoner News]

BREAKING: FBI Raids Activist House in Utah, Connected to Iowa ALF Investigation

Tuesday, March 16 2010 @ 04:21 AM UTC
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20100316042134368

Contributed by: Anonymous

FBI agents and law enforcement from multiple agencies have raided a 
well-known activist group house in Salt Lake City, Utah, today in 
connection with an investigation of Animal Liberation Front crimes in Iowa.

 From Will Potter at greenisthenewred dot com:

FBI agents and law enforcement from multiple agencies have raided a 
well-known activist group house in Salt Lake City, Utah, today in 
connection with an investigation of Animal Liberation Front crimes in Iowa.

I just got off the phone with multiple housemates who were there 
witnessing the raid, and who were able to read the warrant. Details 
about all of this are still emerging, but at this point it is clear 
that the warrant was issued by the Southern District of Iowa, and 
authorizes the seizure of any books, pamphlets, computers and other 
materials tied to "animal enterprise terrorism."

Some background: In Minnesota, a graduate student named Scott DeMuth 
has been indicted on conspiracy charges under the Animal Enterprise 
Terrorism Act. The charges are related to a 2004 raid by the Animal 
Liberation Front at the University of Iowa.

Another Minnesota activist, Carrie Feldman, has been jailed for 
refusing to testify about her political beliefs and political 
associations before a grand jury. Feldman was a teenager at the time 
of the ALF crime, and says the grand jury is clearly an attempt to 
harass and intimidate the activist community.

So how did the FBI end up in Utah? One of the housemates, Peter 
Young, is repeatedly mentioned by name in the warrant. Young was one 
of the first people prosecuted for "animal enterprise terrorism" in 
connection to fur farm raids in the late 90s. (His co-defendant 
Justin Samuel is also mentioned in the warrant). He served two years 
in prison, and has been living in Salt Lake City, speaking at 
colleges, and writing on his website, Voice of the Voiceless. He is 
among the most vocal, public supporters of the ALF and direct action.

The only connection I can decipher between Young and the Iowa 
investigation is this: in an emergency motion filed against Scott 
DeMuth, to keep him in jail, the government calls DeMuth an 
"anarchist" and "domestic terrorist." As evidence of this, they say 
he is an "associate" of Peter Young. As DeMuth's faculty advisor has 
publicly explained, this is tied to his research as a graduate student.

There are about nine people living at the activist group house in 
Salt Lake. At least 15 computers were taken by the FBI, along with 
boxes of documents, notebooks, files, and address books. The house is 
well-known in the area as a gathering space for animal rights and 
other activists. No arrests have been made, and at this point it 
seems Iowa is being used as a pretext for a continued campaign of 
harassment and intimidation.

Among the items taken from the FBI's terrorism raid: a postcard for 
Iowa 80, "the world's largest truck stop."

I'll continue to update as this story develops. In the meantime, this 
is a good opportunity to plug the National Lawyers Guild hotline, 
1-888-NLG-ECOL. Also, please write Carrie Feldman a letter as she 
continues to resist the grand jury witch hunt. Carolyn Feldman, 770 
Iowa St., Dubuque, IA 52001.




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