Back to Search ResultsIncident Summary:
4/11/1995: An unexploded homemade incendiary device was found underneath a delivery truck of the Oneonta Beef Inc., a meat distribution plant in DeWitt, New York, a suburb of Syracuse in the United States. There were no casualties, nor property damage as the device failed to ignite. The device was made from a pair of two-liter plastic soda bottles containing flammable liquid, and was held together with duct tape, a book of matches and a fuse. Animal rights activists, specifically members of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) who were also believed to be affiliated with the Animal Defense League were suspected to be responsible for the incident. Three days later, a second incendiary was placed at the beef company, and that time, it caused a fire resulting in damages (41495).Overview
GTD ID:
199504110004
When:
1995-04-11
Country:
United States
Region:
North America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
New York
City:
DeWitt
Location Details:
at Oneonta Beef Inc., a meat packing plant outside Syracuse, NY
What
| Type of Attack (more) | Facility/Infrastructure Attack |
| Successful Attack? (more) | No |
| Target Type: Business | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Entity | Oneonta Beef Inc. | ||
| Specific Description | meat distribution plant in DeWitt, NY | ||
| Nationality of Target | United States | ||
| Hostages | No |
| Ransom | No |
| Property Damage | No |
How
| Type | Sub-type |
|---|---|
| Incendiary | Gasoline or Alcohol |
| Weapon Details | |
| incendiary device made from a pair of two-liter plastic soda bottles containing flammable liquid, and held together with duct tape, a book of matches and a fuse | |
| Suicide Attack? | No |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
| Criterion 1 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 2 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 3 (more) | Yes |
| Additional Information | The device was discovered by an employee of the company at about 5:00am. The authorities were questioning and investigating a number of young suspects, who were affiliated with the Animal Defense League and Animal Liberation Front (ALF). However, it seems the investigation came to a halt, and perpetrators were not identified. This incident is related to the firebombing of the same target three days later, and is believed to have been committed by the same perpetrator(s), since the first incendiary failed to ignite. |
Who
| Group Name | Claimed Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Animal Liberation Front (ALF) (suspected) | Unknown |
| Number of Perpetrators | Unknown |
| Number of Captured Perpetrators | Unknown |
| 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
| J. Trout Lowen, "Animal Rights Activists May be Targeting Small DeWitt Meat Company," The Post-Standard, April 18, 1995. |
| Hart Seely, "Animal Rights Protests not 'Kids Stuff' Anymore," The Post-Standard, April 21, 1996. |
| Lori Duffy, "Activists Suspected in Meat Plant Arson, Local Animal Rights Activists Say Recent Incidents have made Victims of them as well," The Post-Standard, April 19, 1995. |
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