New York, NY, October 11, 1996...The Mountaineer Militia, seven of whose members were arrested by the FBI today in an alleged plot to bomb a West Va. FBI facility, publish several tactical training manuals that outline a strategy of guerilla warfare against the government, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Principles of Militia Operations, Principles of Militia Training, and Organizational Structure state:

"...[W]e are at war. ...our struggle is an 'all or nothing war,' which has been launched against our heritage." They outline guerilla warfare and unconventional warfare tactics. In Principles of Militia Operations, the "Four F's of counter-insurgency warfare"are listed: "Find 'em, Fix 'em, Fight 'em and Finish 'em."

ADL which has monitored the militia movement since its inception, hailed the arrest. "Militia groups such as the Mountaineer Militia, harbor hatred toward the federal government, subscribe to conspiracy theories and are armed and dangerous," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "We applaud the FBI for their vigilance and for preventing another possible Oklahoma City tragedy."

The Militia is led by Ray Looker, a real estate developer of Stonewood, W. Va. He is in custody along with six followers. The men are charged with plotting to bomb an FBI fingerprint facility in Clarksburg, W. Va. The plotters had obtained blueprints of the FBI building.

Militias are united in their obsession with "protecting" citizens against a federal government that they view as plotting to impose tyranny on the American people. The movement reflects a continuum of views, from those who trade conspiracy theories at gun shows, on talk radio, and over the Internet, all the way to heavily-armed paramilitary units. The incendiary rhetoric of some militia spokesmen have inspired individual militia members to discuss or attempt criminal acts.

ADL has been monitoring militias for two and one half years. Armed and Dangerous: Militias Take Aim at the Federal Government was published by ADL six months before the Oklahoma City bombing; Beyond the Bombing: The Militia Menace Grows, published in June 1995, documented militia activity in 40 states.

Editors' Note: Armed and Dangerous and Beyond the Bombing and other ADL reposts are available on-line on NEXIS, search code USNWR, and from the ADL Media Relations Department. For additional information and/or to speak with ADL experts, contact the ADL Media Relations Department.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.