5/3/2012 - West Side Leader
     

BRECKSVILLE — FBI agents announced May 1 that five suspects were arrested in connection with their role in a plot to detonate explosives to damage a bridge that spans over Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP).

Officials said the state Route 82 Brecksville-Northfield High Level Bridge, which connects Brecksville to Sagamore Hills, was targeted in the plot.

Douglas Wright, 26; Brandon Baxter, 20; and Anthony Hayne, 35, were arrested by members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force on April 30 on charges of conspiracy and attempted use of explosive materials to damage physical property affecting interstate commerce, the FBI reported. Also arrested were Connor Stevens, 20, and Joshua Stafford, 23, with charges pending against them.

All of the suspects were to appear before a federal magistrate in U.S. District Court in Cleveland May 1.

Officials added that the public was never in danger from the explosive devices, which were controlled by an undercover FBI employee. The explosives that the defendants allegedly purchased and attempted to use were inoperable and posed no threat to the public, FBI officials said.

In a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Cleveland, the FBI reported that Wright, Baxter and Hayne are self-proclaimed anarchists who formed into a small group and considered a series of evolving plots over several months. The initial plot involved the use of smoke grenades to distract law enforcement in order for the co-conspirators to destroy financial institution signs on high-rise buildings in downtown Cleveland, according to the complaint.

The plot later developed to include the use of explosives, according to the FBI. The defendants conspired to obtain C-4 explosives contained in two improvised explosive devices to be placed and remotely detonated, according to the complaint.

The defendants discussed various bridges and physical targets in and around the Cleveland area over several months, the FBI said. The final plan resulted in the Route 82 bridge being the designated target.

According to CVNP officials, the National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers assisted the FBI during the investigation and the two agencies worked together to ensure park resources and park visitors were not at risk during the operation.

Officials added that the area around the bridge is popular with fishermen, bird watchers, hikers and cyclists, and every effort was made to ensure that park visitors were never exposed to unnecessary hazards.

“The National Park Service applauds the work of the Bureau and all of the other law enforcement agencies involved in successfully apprehending these suspects,” CVNP officials stated in a press release.

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