One of two remaining fugitives in a string of high-profile fires across the West that focused national attention on a group of environmental radicals has been apprehended and returned to the United States after 12 years on the run.
Joseph Mahmoud Dibee, 50, of Seattle, Washington is facing several charges in Oregon, including conspiracy to commit arson, destruction of an energy facility and arson of a government building.
Authorities learned Dibee was traveling through Central America on his way to Russia, with a planned stop in Cuba. With the assistance of Cuban authorities, the FBI arranged for his detention before he boarded a plane bound for Russia.
In 2006, a federal grand jury in Oregon indicted Dibee and 11 conspirators as part of 'Operation BACKFIRE,' a long-running FBI domestic terrorism investigation, and the largest ecoterrorism investigation in U.S. history.
The conspirators, known as "The Family," have been linked to more than 40 criminal acts ranging from vandalism to arson between 1995 and 2001, causing more than $45 million in damages.
The group was based out of Eugene, Oregon.
One fugitive from "The Family" remains at large: Josephine Sunshine Overaker, an American citizen believed to be about 43 or 46 years old. Authorities say she fled to Europe in late 2001. Overaker faces 19 felony charges, including arson in the districts of Oregon, Washington and Colorado.
Authorities say Overaker speaks fluent Spanish and may seek employment as a firefighter, midwife, sheep tender or masseuse. The FBI continues to offer a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to her arrest. (KOMO 4 News, August 10, 2018)
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