Snitch Ian Wallace
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. - Early Monday morning Federal agents and members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, University of Minnesota Police, Twin Cities Campus served at least two grand jury subpoenas to individuals in a case that appears to be related to the January 26, 2002 Earth Liberation Front (ELF) arson that targeted the University of Minnesota Microbial and Plant Genomics building that was under construction at the time. A construction trailer, a bulldozer and other heavy equipment were destroyed in the fire. Faculty and student research and a soil testing laboratory in the adjacent Crops Research building was also heavily damaged by the blaze. No humans or animals were injured and authorities estimated that the action cost $630,000 in damages.
The construction of the Microbial and Plant Genomics laboratory was a joint venture funded equally by the multinational mega food corporation Cargill and Minnesota State tax dollars. The purpose of the project was to better study and map plant genomes and genetically engineer and manipulate foods. About two years prior to this action the ELF claimed responsibility for trashing genetically engineered research crops in a green house on campus.
Two individuals Anthony Wong of Seattle and "Brandon" of Chicago were issued the subpoenas which require them to appear before a grand jury on September 6, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to Brandon's report "a man named Ian Wallace has been cooperating with them [federal investigators] for the past several months regarding these events and possibly others. They told me that Ian claims that I (and another person) planned these actions and traveled to Minnesota to take part in them."
The agents who served Wong also informed him that Ian Wallace was cooperating with them as well as Kevin Tubbs and Stanislas Meyerhoff who were recently sentenced in the Oregon green scare case. An officer showed Wong "color copy photos of some type of vehicle or machine. The photos were dark and unclear."
Wallace's name has come up in the Oregon case as a person who has agreed to assist in the prosecution of environmental activists. During convicted eco-saboteur Daniel McGowan's sentencing hearing Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Peifer said that Wallace had told the government that McGowan introduced him to Stanislas Meyerhoff in July of 2001, and that that related to an ongoing investigation.
McGowan who began serving a seven year prison sentence early last month has been designated to a federal prison in Minnesota presumably so that he can be provided to a grand jury and asked to testify in relation to this case. McGowan was one of only six out of fifteen who were apprehended in the Northwest green scare cases that refused to name names and implicate others. He is not expected to cooperate and provide information to a grand jury and according to his attorney Jeffrey Robinson of Seattle may have to do additional time on top of his sentence for refusing to comply.
