EmergencyNet NEWS Service
Emergency Response & Research Institute
6348 N. Milwaukee, Suite #312 , Chicago, IL 60646
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 21:00CDT
Contact: Clark Staten
Phone: (312) 631-ERRI (3774)
FAX: (312) 631-4703
Internet:enn@emergency.com
Chicago, IL, October 9, 1995 -- In what appears to be another devastating act of domestic terrorism, an Amtrak train has been derailed near Hyder, Arizona. Maricopa County, AZ. Sheriff Joseph Arpiao says that the derailment wasn't the result of an accident and that they have seized evidence that the tracks had been tampered with. Another report from the Sheriff's office says that a warning system designed to warn train crews about dangerous tracks had been disabled. A third report from the Amtrak officials says that as many as twenty-six (26) spikes had been removed from the railbed, thus making it very unstable and facilitating the derailment.
According to Emergency medical Services (EMS) officials, one person was killed in the derailment and at least another seventy-eight (78)people were injured. At least ten (10) of the injured are reported to be in critical condition at several Phoenix area hospitals. Several were described by paramedics and deputies as having "crushing injuries" and borken bones. At least two patients had suffered severe head and chest injuries. Most were removed from the remote accident scene by helicopter and flown to trauma centers.
Two typewritten letters were reportedly found at the scene by passengers and turned over to law enforcement agencies. They were was allegedly addressed to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) and to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They talked about the attack being "pay-back" for the events of Waco and at Ruby Ridge. The letters were signed by an unknown group called the "Sons of the Gestapo", an obvious reference to Hitler's W.W.II secret police and a possible link to a neo-nazi organization.
Sources close to the investigation say that no explosives were used to derail the train, but that it would appear to be an "act of sabotage". They say that the saboteurs had a knowledge of both railroad procedures, the vulnerabilities of the trackbed, and railway warning systems. Reportedly, the removal of the ties and a widening of the tracks was done in such a way to cause the train to derail just as it approached an overpass that covered a ravine. As the train derailed, several cars tumbled into that ravine. A veteran railroad worker, who has worked on Chicago Northwestern tracks for more than 20 years told ENN, "whoever did this, they knew what they were doing."
Clark Staten, Executive Director of the Emergency Response & Research Institute (ERRI) said that the fact that the tracks weren't actually "blown up" does not mean that this wasn't an act of "domestic terrorism." The tactics used, according to Staten, could be indicative of military or terrorist training of the perpetrators. "This type of derailment is a common tactic, taught in Ranger or Special forces courses, for soldiers of both the United States and many other countries." Staten added. "In wartime, this kind of act is used to halt the movement of troop trains or vital supplies." You can also read about it in a number of "survivalist" and other books that describe special forces or underground types of tactics.
Speculation as to the perpetrators has centered, thus far, on connections with neo-nazi and white supremacist organizations that are known to frequent Arizona and the Southwestern part of the United States. Identification of the "Sons of the Gestapo" has, however, proven illusive so far. Staten, in an exclusive interview with Chicago's FOX-WFLD-Channel 32, that was aired tonight at 9:00p.m., told reporter Kevin McCarty that the name may be a fictitious "red herring" used to confuse law enforcement agencies or that it is a name chosen just for this operation. Staten said that a search of an extensive ERRI counter-terrorist database and that of two other agencies has produced no evidence of that name or a derivative thereof. Another alternative involves the possible formulation of a new terrorist group. Staten told McCarty that terrorists often engage in misinformation or misdirection, in order to attempt to prevent detection and apprehension.
"Several parts of the puzzle fit and could indicate a domestic act carried out by neo-nazis or white supremacists...that geographic area is rife with paramilitary groups and militia members...and there is known animosity about Waco and Ruby Ridge in some circles there", Staten added. "Other facts are incongruent and could lead one to believe that it was carried out by a disgruntled railroad worker...who had been passed over for promotion or 'banished' to the Arizona desert", Staten continued. "We just don't have enough hard evidence, at this point in the investigation, to reach any firm conclusions.... but, certainly those that have done this...intended to maim or kill a lot of people" Staten concluded.
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