Incident Summary:

3/18/2007: Grant Barnes, suspectedly affiliated with the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), planted an incendiary device near a parked 2007 Chevrolet Suburban at the 700 block of East 8th Place in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver, Colorado in the United States. A second incendiary was also found near another SUV on this day. These devices did not detonate, thus, no damage or injuries were caused in the incident. However, these were two in a series of seven firebombs which Barnes planted in the Cherry Creek area, targeting SUVs over the course of four days. Two of the other devices exploded. Barnes was arrested on March 22, 2007, indicted, and pled guilty in July 2007, and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

GTD ID:
200703180002

When:
2007-03-18

Country:
United States

Region:
North America

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Colorado

City:
Denver

Location Details:
7700 block of East Eighth Place in Cherry Creek area of Denver

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Facility/Infrastructure Attack
Successful Attack? (more) No
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Private Citizens & Property
Name of Entity
Specific Description Sports utility vehicles owned by private citizens
Nationality of Target United States
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage No
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Incendiary Gasoline or Alcohol
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) No
Additional Information These were two in a series of seven firebombs which Barnes planted in the Cherry Creek area, targeting SUVs over the course of four days. Two of the other devices exploded. Barnes was arrested on March 22, 2007, indicted, and pled guilty in July 2007, and sentenced to 12 years in prison. At the time of his arrest, authorities discovered seven improvised incendiary devices, similar to those found under the vehicles, and gas cans, a box of long matches, a face mask and disposable gloves in Barnes' car. The devices were similar to those used by ELF and ALF in past SUV fire bombings, and the making of the devices was described on ALF's website. Authorities were unable to confirm a connection between Barnes and ELF/ALF.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Earth Liberation Front (ELF) (suspected) No
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators 1
Number of Captured Perpetrators 1
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 0 Fatalities / 0 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 0
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 0
Total Number of Injured 0
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
Howard Pankratz, "Man held in SUV sabotage FIREBOMBS FOUND UNDER 7 Similar devices were discovered in the car of Grant Barnes, suspected of attempting to detonate them in Cherry Creek over a four-day span," The Denver Post, April 5, 2007.
Howard Pankratz, "Devices "identical" to extremist group's CHERRY CREEK FIREBOMBINGS Investigators will search a suspect's computer for ties to ecoterror groups. Grant Barnes is accused of trying to set off firebombs under 7 SUVs in March," The Denver Post, May 22, 2007.
"Man accused of SUV bombings pleads guilty, sentenced to 12 years," Associated Press, July 26, 2007.