Back to Search ResultsIncident Summary:
10/25/1999: Researcher Sarah Williams-Blangero, received a bobby-trapped letter suspectedly lined with a razor blade, at her office at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in San Antonio, Texas in the United States. There were no injuries in the incident. This letter was part of an 80-letter razor-blade campaign, claimed by the animal rights group, The Justice Department. The group targeted scientists, many specifically from Regional Primate Centers across America, who were conducting AIDS and cancer-related research on non-human primates, and the group was against the use of primates for laboratory tests. A communiqué claiming the incident was posted on both The Justice Department's website as well as that of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). Not all of the letters, which also contained diagrams of simple homemade bombs and threats demanding the researchers release the animals and leave the vivisection industry, were confirmed or reported by researchers. The letters were postmarked from Las Vegas, Nevada and allegedly sent out on October 25.Overview
GTD ID:
199910250004
When:
1999-10-25
Country:
United States
Region:
North America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Texas
City:
San Antonio
Location Details:
at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in San Antonio, TX
What
| Target Type: Educational Institution | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Entity | at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in San Antonio, TX | ||
| Specific Description | researcher, Sarah Williams-Blangero, at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in San Antonio, TX | ||
| Nationality of Target | United States | ||
| Hostages | No |
| Ransom | No |
| Property Damage | No |
How
| Type | Sub-type |
|---|---|
| Other | |
| Weapon Details | |
| letters in envelopes rigged with utility razor blades affixed to index cards | |
| Suicide Attack? | No |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | Yes |
| Criterion 1 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 2 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 3 (more) | Yes |
| Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) | No |
| Additional Information | This was one in a series of 11 incidents (102599a-k) which constituted an 80-letter razor-blade campaign, claimed by the animal rights group, The Justice Department. The group targeted scientists, many specifically from Regional Primate Centers across America, who were conducting AIDS and cancer-related research on non-human primates, and the group was against the use of primates for laboratory tests. The letters were postmarked from Las Vegas, Nevada with no return addresses and were placed in white envelopes with razor blades inside. Not all of the letters were confirmed. The Justice Department is an animal rights group, much like the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). The group was also active in Canada and England (where it was initially based). The Justice Department also committed a razor blade campaign in August 1999 against the fur industry. Though most sources state that 80 letters were sent out, the group claimed it was over 80 letters, and some sources note as many as 87 letters. |
Who
| Group Name | Claimed Responsibility |
|---|---|
| The Justice Department | Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Posted to website, blog, etc.) |
| 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
| "Extremist group targets Texas researcher, 80 others," Associated Press State & Local Wire, October 27, 1999. |
| "UAB, Other Schools Get Terror Mail," Birmingham News, October 28, 1999. |
| "Animal Rights Group Mails Razor Blades To Medical Researchers, Says Foundation for Biomedical Research; Group Warns of Wave of Violence If Primate Research Is Not Halted," PR Newswire, October 25, 1999. |
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