Incident Summary:
5/30/1989: Two members of the Evan Mecham Eco-Terrorist International Conspiracy group, Mark Leslie Davis and Marc Andre Baker, were arrested as they attempted to cut through a metal support tower which held electric lines delivering electricity to the Harcuvar Substation near Wenden, Arizona in the United States. The two were trying to cut down the power line using a propane torch, similar to their previous incidents of terrorism in 1987 and 1988 at the Flagstaff, Arizona ski lifts and the power lines at the Grand Canyon, Arizona. The power pole was owned by the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Harcuvar Substation owned by the Central Arizona Project (CAP), which was the main source of water supply for Arizona. The perpetrators were arrested as they were at the location, about to carry out the attack, and thus, authorities believe much potential damage to the substation was prevented.
Overview
GTD ID:
198905300021
When:
1989-05-30
Country:
United States
Region:
North America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Arizona
City:
Wenden
What
Attack Information
Type of Attack () |
Facility/Infrastructure Attack |
Successful Attack? () |
No |
Target Information ()
Target Type: Government (General) |
Name of Entity |
US Department of Energy |
Specific Description |
power pole owned by the US Department of Energy |
Nationality of Target |
United States |
Target Type: Utilities |
Name of Entity |
Harcuvar Substation owned by the Central Arizona Project (CAP) |
Specific Description |
power poles providing electricity to the Harcuvar Substation, owned by the Central Arizona Project (CAP), which is the main source of water supply for Arizona |
Nationality of Target |
United States |
Additional Information
Hostages |
No |
Ransom |
No |
Property Damage |
No |
How
Weapon Information
Type |
Sub-type |
Sabotage Equipment |
|
Weapon Details |
propane (acetylene) torch |
Additional Information
Suicide Attack? | No |
Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
Additional Information |
The perpetrators were charged with destruction of an energy facility, and they, along with two other members of the group, Margaret "Peggy" Katherine Millett and David Foreman (also arrested), were charged with conspiracy to sabotage a nuclear facility in their plots to sabotage three nuclear facilities in California, Arizona, and Colorado. It remains unclear if this group was an offshoot of Earth First! |
Who
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators |
2 |
Number of Captured Perpetrators |
2 |
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
Sources
FBI, "Terrorism in the United States: 1989," Terrorist Research and Analytical Center, Counterterrorism Section, Criminal Investigative Division, 1989. |
"Four Environmentalists Arrested on Nuclear Sabotage Charges," The Associated Press, May 31, 1989. |
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