ELF Claims Damage to Construction Vehicles in Charlottesville

Associated Press/February 11, 2004

Charlottesville, Va. -- Members of a radical environmental group take credit for setting construction equipment ablaze at the site of an Albemarle County commercial development.

Albemarle County spokeswoman Lee Catlin says the FBI is investigating the vandalism, which occurred between Thursday and Sunday.

The Earth Liberation Front said its members visited Hollymead Town Center, setting a "bulldozer" on fire and causing minor damage to several other pieces of equipment.

That's according to the group's Web site, which says Earth Liberation Front has caused more than 55 million dollars in damage nationwide in a series of attacks on sport-utility vehicle dealerships.

The FBI lists the group as a terrorist organization.