OREGON
A 50-year-old terrorist from Seattle, Washington, taken into custody after being on the run for 12 years, officials announced Friday.
Joseph Mahmoud Dibee returned to the U.S. to face federal criminal charges in Oregon, California and Washington State, officials said.
Dibee, an American citizen, is charged in Oregon with one count of conspiracy to commit arson, one count of conspiracy to commit arson and destruction of an energy facility, and one count of arson.
He also faces one count each of conspiracy to commit arson, possession of an unregistered firearm, and possession of a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence in Washington and one count each of conspiracy to commit arson, arson of a government building.
In California, he is wanted for possession of a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to officials.
“Whatever the motivation, terrorism is simply unacceptable,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers. “Domestic terrorism is no exception. Because of the close cooperation between our international and intergovernmental partners, Dibee will now face the consequences for his crimes. This should send a clear message to all other criminals on the run: no matter how long it takes, we will find you, and we will bring you to justice.”
“We will always continue in our mission to locate and bring to justice those who threaten our national security or seek to harm the American people,” said FBI Assistant Director Michael McGarrity.
“More than two decades ago, a loosely affiliated group of environmental extremists set out to express their views using force, violence, sabotage, mass destruction, intimidation, and coercion,” said U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams.
According to court documents, federal authorities learned Dibee was traveling through Central America on his way to Russia with a planned stop in Cuba.
With help from Cuban authorities, U.S. federal agencies and the U.S. Embassy in Havana, the FBI arranged for Cuban authorities to detain Dibee before he boarded a plane bound for Russia, and return him to the United States.
Dibee fled the U.S. in December 2005.
In 2006, a federal grand jury in Oregon indicted Dibee and 11 co-conspirators as part of Operation BACKFIRE, a long-running FBI domestic terrorism investigation.
The conspirators, known as “The Family,” have been linked to more than 40 criminal acts ranging from vandalism to arson between 1995 and 2001, causing more than $45 million in damages, according to officials.
Many of the Dibee’s crimes were connected to the Earth Liberation Front or ELF or the Animal Liberation Front or ALF.
One fugitive remains at large from Operation BACKFIRE. Josephine Sunshine Overaker, an American citizen, believed to be either 43 or 46 years old, fled to Europe in late 2001.
Overaker faces 19 felony charges including conspiracy to commit arson, conspiracy to commit arson and destruction of an energy facility, attempted arson, and arson in Oregon, Washington, and Colorado.
Overaker speaks fluent Spanish and may seek employment as a firefighter, midwife, sheep tender, or masseuse. The FBI continues to offer a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to her arrest.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty.