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Darren Thurston | |
|---|---|
| Born | Darren Todd Thurston c. 1970 (age 54–55) |
| Occupation | Formeractivist |
| Criminal status | Deported to Canada following expiration of sentence |
| Conviction | Eco-sabotage related charges |
| Criminal penalty | 37 months in prison |
Darren Todd Thurston (bornc. 1970) is a former Canadiananimal rights activist.
In July 2006, Thurston pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy and related arson charges that occurred from 1996 through 2001 inOregon and four other U.S. states, and which were claimed in the name of theEarth Liberation Front (ELF) and theAnimal Liberation Front (ALF).[1] TheFBI arrested Thurston and 10 other members of a west coast-based animal rights and environmentalist organization that the FBI and media called "The Family."[2] The arrests were made as part of the FBI'sOperation Backfire.[3]
Thurston was sentenced in May 2007 to 37 months in prison in exchange for his cooperation with the investigation.[4]
In 1992, Thurston was convicted for his part in an Animal Liberation Front action at aUniversity of Alberta laboratory and liberating 29 cats slated for medical experimentation. For this act and another earlier action, he served2+1⁄2 years in a Canadian prison and was released in 1994.
In 1998, Thurston was charged along with former ALF spokesmanDavid Barbarash relating to a series of threatening letters that were booby-trapped with razor blades and sent to hunting-guide outfitters acrossBritish Columbia.[5] In late 2000, charges against Thurston were stayed by the Crown following a refusal by theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to release certain records.[6]
On December 7, 2005, Thurston was arrested inPortland, Oregon, in the company ofChelsea Gerlach. Although he was initially told he would receive a speedy deportation, he was later indicted in a case involving 16 individuals alleged to have been involved in 17 Earth Liberation Front, Animal Liberation Front and other unclaimed actions that took place between 1996 and 2001. These arrests took place as part of theFederal Bureau of Investigation'sOperation Backfire, referred to in the activist community as part of an ongoing trend known as theGreen Scare.
Thurston was facing five federal charges includingarson with an incendiary device andconspiracy in addition to two federal charges for the possession of fraudulent identification. In 2007, Thurston was sentenced to 37 months of imprisonment for his role in an attack on aBureau of Land Management corral inLitchtfield, California.[7] He was given BOP #69110-065 and served his sentence atFCI Sheridan. Following his release, he was deported to Canada.
