Details were released Wednesday by the FBI and several other law enforcement agencies about the attempted firebombing of UCLA professor Arthur Rosenbaum’s car on June 24.
The FBI was notified late last Sunday that an incendiary device along with flammable liquids were found next to the right side of Rosenbaum’s white BMW at his residence, said Laura Eimiller, a Los Angeles FBI spokeswoman.
Though the device showed evidence of being lit, it did not ignite and no one was hurt, Eimiller said.
While Eimiller said she could not release specific information regarding potential suspects due to the ongoing investigation, she said animal rights extremists have taken responsibility for the attack.
According to an anonymous communique released on the North American Animal Liberation Press Office Web site, an organization that acts as a press outlet for several animal rights activists groups, a group called the Animal Liberation Brigade took credit for the attempted firebombing.
Jerry Vlasak, a spokesman for the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, said that though the office has no independent verification that the group is responsible, historically such communiques have been correct.
In a statement released on the UCLA Web site Thursday, Acting Chancellor Norman Abrams denounced the use of violence to achieve political or policy goals and said UCLA officials are fully cooperating with ongoing investigations.
Vlasak said the attack came as a result of what activists called cruel experimentation on animals at Rosenbaum’s ophthalmology laboratory, including the alleged “injecting (of) Botox into (the) eyes” of monkeys.
UCLA spokesman Phil Hampton said he was unable to speak to the specifics of Rosenbaum’s research at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, but he said only one monkey is used and all research is in accordance with strict national and university guidelines.
There have been multiple attempts at discussions, meetings and demonstrations to urge UCLA to stop the use of animals in research, but there have been few changes, Vlasak said.
As a result, he said, activist groups have felt the need to resort to violence to stop further animal research.
“All reasonable attempts have failed, so we’re going to take it to the next level,” he said.
But while Vlasak claims that activist groups have attempted to meet with university officials to open a dialogue on the full cessation of animal research, Hampton said he does not believe activist groups have met with Abrams.
“We don’t think it’s appropriate to have detailed discussion with groups that clearly advocate the use of violence to achieve their aims,” he said.
Abrams has, however, met with students who have raised concerns regarding animal research practices, Hampton said.
Though students may have raised concerns regarding animal research, UCLA maintains its commitment to safe and regulated animal research that is essential to advances in medical knowledge and animal care, Hampton said.
“All research conducted by UCLA faculty, including Dr. Rosenbaum, is subject to rigorous federal and campus guidelines, as well as protocols and monitoring of UCLA’s animal research committee,” he said.
While UCLA has maintained above-the-board practices in its research facilities, there have been other violent demonstrations regarding the animal rights issue, Hampton said.
In addition to the attempted attack on Rosenbaum’s vehicle, an incendiary device was also found near the home of another UCLA researcher in July 2006, and did not ignite.
In his statement, Abrams also mentioned activists who have pounded on the windows and doors of faculty residences and offices as well as making threatening phone calls and sending threatening e-mails.
While the FBI and other law enforcement agencies cannot yet release specific information regarding potential suspects and criminal charges, they are investigating a possible link between the attack on Sunday and the attack in July 2006, Eimiller said.
“There are several similarities, including UCLA professors, the use of incendiary devices, and animal rights extremists,” Eimiller said.
Though UCLA officials have strongly condemned the use of violence, Vlasak said animal rights activists see it as their only remaining option.
“Rosenbaum is not an innocent bystander; he is a guilty perpetrator of violence toward innocent beings, (and) if he won’t stop with intelligent discussion, there is every moral justification for stopping him using whatever means are necessary,” Vlasak said.