Radical animal rights activist claims responsibility for arson fires

June 25, 2010
(ABC 4 News)
Brent Hunsaker

SALT LAKE CITY - "Lone Wolf" sent a communiqué to an Animal Liberation Front claiming responsibility for two arson fires -- one of them in Salt Lake.

The fire in Salt Lake happened overnight on June 5th at Tandy Leather Factory at 1107 South State Street in Salt Lake City. The arsonist didn't bother to hide his crime. He used cans of gasoline. The fire burned mostly flooring and the front counter of the store. Still, all of the merchandise was destroyed by smoke.

But Tandy wasn't the only store damaged. Smoke also poured into the other businesses in the block. Steve Tippetts owns Anchor Ink which is next door to Tandy. "The smoke was so bad, we had to shut down for two days just to clean up," he said.

The other fire was on April 30th at a Sheepskin store in Denver. That store burned to the ground. The FBI is reviewing a videotape from a surveillance camera that may show the arsonist around the store at the time of the fire.

In the communiqué, Lone Wolf wrote the fires in Salt Lake and Denver were "done in defense and retaliation for all the innocent animals that have died cruelly at the hands of human oppressors."

Tippetts is now concerned the arsonist will strike again.

Lone Wolf wrote that the fires were "in defense and retaliation for all the innocent animals that have died cruelly at the hands of human oppressors."

If Long Wolf had something to do with the fires, Deputy Chief Brain Dale believes he didn't do it alone. He said arsonists don't typically travel. They set their fires close to home. "Makes me more or less skeptical that they're local," Deputy Chief Dale said "But it's certainly not a common behavior or pattern we would have seen."

Tippetts just worries the arsonists will return when Tandy Leather reopens next month. He said, "I've heard ... They've actually come back. They wait until they're done the repairs or remodel and come back and do it again. So, I have a fear of that."