Say Anything Blog

From Worldnet Daily via Michael Savage:

While Southern California law enforcement authorities investigate an eyewitness report of arson in at least one of the major wildfires that have killed 15 people, destroyed 483,000 acres and 1,134 homes, there is new evidence terrorism was behind other recent wildfires in Europe and Australia.

The San Bernardino Sheriff's Department reported it was seeking two men, both around 20, who were seen in a van on a road north of the city of San Bernardino last weekend. A witness saw one occupant throw something on to the roadside brush that started a fire. The witness said the van made a U-turn and fled the scene.

Meanwhile, in devastating forest fires that swept through the Maures mountains near the French Riviera in late July, investigators found Molotov cocktails, or gasoline bombs, were used to ignite the blazes that killed at least four and destroyed 50 homes.

Luc Jousse, the mayor of Roque-Sur-Argens, called the fires "a new form of terrorism." President Jacques Chirac threatened those responsible with "sanctions of an extraordinary gravity."

The fires in France were the worst ever in the region.

In addition, southern Italy was also hit last summer with devastating wildfires also believed to be the result of arson.

In August, Australian authorities launched an investigation into reports al-Qaida planned to spark brushfires in a new wave of devastating terror attacks.

A June 25 FBI memo to United States law enforcement agencies revealed a senior al-Qaida detainee claimed to have developed a plan to start midsummer forest fires in the U.S.

The terrorist hoped to mimic the destruction that devastated Canberra last summer, killing four people and destroying more than 500 homes, as well as in other parts of Australia.

The memo, obtained by the Arizona Republic newspaper, said the unidentified detainee revealed he hoped to create several large, catastrophic wildfires at once.

"The detainee believed that significant damage to the U.S. economy would result and once it was realized that the fires were terrorist acts, U.S. citizens would put pressure on the U.S. government to change its policies," the memo said.

The detainee told investigators his plan called for three or four operatives to travel to the U.S. and set timed explosive devices in forests and grasslands.

Whoever set these fires is in some serious hot water. It has now been proven that at least one of the fires was ignited by a hunter who fired a signal flare when he became lost. Law enforcement is asking the public's assistance in locating the alleged igniter of the so-called "old fire" by releasing a sketch of the suspect.

I'm not sure how much credibility we can put into any claim of arson in any of these cases at this point. With the fires still raging law enforcement is simply stretched too thin to try and effectively investigate the issue at this point.

The reports of arson from France and Australia are worrisome. If terrorists hadn't thought of wild fires as a weapon against civilization before they're probably considering it now.