Incident Summary:
5/3/1997: James Cleaver and Jack Dowell were convicted of setting a fire in the Internal Revenue Service Office located on the third floor of the Bell Tower Office Building in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. Ronald Sherman pled guilty to driving the getaway car. Cleaver and Dowell dropped five gallons of gasoline onto the floor of the office and, before fleeing, placed a timing device that ignited the fire ten minutes later. The office building was gutted causing $2.5 million dollars in damages and a firefighter was injured fighting the blaze.
Overview
GTD ID:
199705030009
When:
1997-05-03
Country:
United States
Region:
North America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Colorado
City:
Colorado Springs
Location Details:
2020 North Academy Blvd.
What
Attack Information
Type of Attack () |
Facility/Infrastructure Attack |
Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
Target Type: Government (General) |
Name of Entity |
Internal Revenue Service |
Specific Description |
Internal Revenue Service Office, Colorado Springs |
Nationality of Target |
United States |
Additional Information
Hostages |
No |
Ransom |
No |
Property Damage |
Yes |
Extent of Property Damage |
Major (likely > $1 million but < $1 billion) |
Value of Property Damage |
$2,500,000.00 |
How
Weapon Information
Type |
Sub-type |
Incendiary |
Gasoline or Alcohol |
Weapon Details |
Gasoline ignited by a timing device |
Additional Information
Suicide Attack? | No |
Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
Additional Information |
Two years later, there was another case of arson at the IRS building in Colorado Springs (199904100005). James Cleaver was a former leader of the anti-government group Sons of Liberty. Thomas Shafer, along with Ronald Sherman, both pled guilty to perjury charges in connection with this incident. Thomas Dowell, who was also accused by the government of breaking into the building and setting the fire, was acquitted. |
Who
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name |
Claimed Responsibility |
Anti-Government Group |
No |
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators |
3 |
Number of Captured Perpetrators |
3 |
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties |
0 Fatalities / 1 Injured |
Total Number of Fatalities |
0 |
Number of U.S. Fatalities |
0 |
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
0 |
Total Number of Injured |
1 |
Number of U.S. Injured |
1 |
Number of Perpetrators Injured |
0 |
Sources
Sources
Mark Potok Ed., "Terror From the Right: 75 Plots, Conspiracies and Racist Rampages Since Oklahoma City," Southern Poverty Law Center, 2009. |
"CO: Investigators Examine IRS Building Arson," The Bulletin's Frontrunner, May 6, 1997. |
"Final Person Sentenced In 1997 Colorado Springs IRS Arson," States News Service, February 2, 2004. |
Criteria
Criteria 1
The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal. In terms of economic goals, the exclusive pursuit of profit does not satisfy this criterion. It must involve the pursuit of more profound, systemic economic change.
Criterion 2
There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims. It is the act taken as a totality that is considered, irrespective if every individual involved in carrying out the act was aware of this intention. As long as any of the planners or decision-makers behind the attack intended to coerce, intimidate or publicize, the intentionality criterion is met.
Criterion 3
The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities. That is, the act must be outside the parameters permitted by international humanitarian law (particularly the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians or non-combatants.
Doubt Terrorism Proper
The existence of a "Yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper?" records reservation, in the eyes of GTD analysts, that the incident in question is truly terrorism. Such uncertainty, however, was not deemed to be sufficient to disqualify the incident from inclusion into the GTD. Furthermore, such a determination of doubt is subsequently coded by GTD analysts as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Alternate Designation
The determination of "yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper" by GTD analysts is coded as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Successful Attack
Success of a terrorist strike is defined according to the tangible effects of the attack. For example, in a typical successful bombing, the bomb detonates and destroys property and/or kills individuals, whereas an unsuccessful bombing is one in which the bomb is discovered and defused or detonates early and kills the perpetrators. Success is not judged in terms of the larger goals of the perpetrators. For example, a bomb that exploded in a building would be counted as a success even if it did not, for example, succeed in bringing the building down or inducing government repression.
Type of Attack
This field captures the general method of attack and often reflects the broad class of tactics used. It consists of the following nine categories:
- Assassination
- Armed Assault
- Unarmed Assault
- Bombing/Explosion
- Hijacking
- Hostage taking (Barricade Incident)
- Hostage taking (Kidnapping)
- Facility / Infrastructure Attack
- Unknown
Target Information
This field captures the general type of target. It consists of the following 22 categories:
- Abortion Related
- Airports & Airlines
- Business
- Government (General)
- Government (Diplomatic)
- Educational Institution
- Food or Water Supply
- Journalists & Media
- Maritime (includes Ports and Maritime facilities)
- Military
- NGO
- Other
- Police
- Private Citizens & Property
- Religious Figures/Institutions
- Telecommunication
- Terrorists
- Tourists
- Transportation (other than aviation)
- Unknown
- Utilities
- Violent Political Parties