The Seattle News tribune reports that the FBI is leading the search for the individuals who set off military-style smoke grenades in two downtown Seattle office towers on Wednesday, July 10. The terrorist incident appears to have been the work of animal rights activists targeting insurance company Marsh which has offices in both buildings. Marsh has been targeted by Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty for providing insurance to Huntingdon Life Sciences.
According to police, notes were found with both bombs though they are not disclosing the contents of those notes.
At 9:34 a.m. a 911 call was placed to report a smoking device on the 20th floor of an office building at 701 Pike Street. At 9:35 a.m., an automatic fire alarm was triggered on the 28th floor of an office building at 1215 Fourth Avenue.
Workers from both buildings were evacuated without incident, but the situation could have been much worse. Since both grenades are incendiary devices, Seattle Fire Chief Gary Morris told The New Tribune that, “We would have had a high-rise fire” if either grenade had come into contact with combustible material.
For its part, SHAC said it was not behind the attack but it expressed its admiration for whoever carried it out,
SHAC is not affiliated with the attack. Although we do support direct action, as long as it does not hurt any animal, human or nonhuman, we do not engage in, organize or fund such activities. However, we do applaud those brave enough to do so.
Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske noted that the claims by animal rights activist that such attacks aren’t terrorism because they don’t harm people was “incredibly disingenuous.” According to The News Tribune,
Evacuations are inherently risky, he said. He added that the massive mobilization to the two incidents left the rest of Seattle needlessly vulnerable.
And the incidents themselves initially made police and fire officials contemplate some of the terrifying questions of the post-Sept. 11 world, Kerlikowske said: “You’re wondering: How many other devices? Is this a diversionary incident?”
The Seattle Times reported that SHAC, on its web site, welcomed such fear saying that the bombings “smoked [Marsh employees] out of their holes.”
Sources:
Smoke bombs halt workday at offices. Ian Ith and Dave Birkland, Seattle Times, July 11, 2002.
FBI leads problem of Seattle office smoke bombs. David Quigg, The News Tribune (Seattle), July 12, 2002.