From: lippard@Primenet.Com (James J. Lippard) Newsgroups: primenet.general,alt.censorship,comp.org.eff.talk Subject: Primenet user arrested for "terrorist threats" on the Internet Date: 18 May 1996 17:24:01 -0700 Organization: Primenet (602)416-7000 Lines: 97 Sender: root@primenet.com Message-ID: <4nlpn1$9bi@nnrp1.news.primenet.com> X-Posted-By: lippard@usr07.primenet.com A user sent me the following from the 5/11/96 San Francisco Examiner and expressed some concern about it: ---begin quotation--- NET THREAT IS TRACED TO STUDENT SACRAMENTO (AP) - An Internet message declaring an "open season" on state Sen. Tim Leslie because of the lawmaker's stance on mountain lions has been traced to a 19-year-old college student in El Paso, Texas, authorities say. Jose Eduardo Saavedra was arrested on a no-bail warrant based on felony charges filed in Sacramento alleging that he had made terrorist threats and threatened a public official, said El Paso County sheriff's Sgt. Don Marshall. The computer message posted March 6 read: "Let's hunt Sen. Tim Leslie for sport. ... I think it would be great" if he "were hunted down and skinned and mounted for our viewing pleasure." Leslie, who pushed for a ballot measure that would have removed special protections for mountain lions in California, expressed relief that an arrest had been made but said the incident raised "big new issues" about the use - and misuse - of the Internet. The Carnelian Bay Republican said it was a "very serious matter" when someone could "threaten or intimidate or extort others in a public forum like this." According to Al Locher of the Sacramento County district attorney's office, Saavedra was tracked down by investigators working on information from his Internet provider, Primenet of Arizona. ---end quotation--- It is our policy not to give out user information without a court order. In this case, it was a subpoena from the U.S. Attorney's office in Sacramento, hand-delivered by the FBI. As it turns out, this particular user--who had previously engaged in a minor spam about an "excellent fund raising program" involving coffee and cereal for $1.00 (which I believe was a scam)--had given us bogus user information. The real name, address, and telephone number which we turned over was apparently falsified information. Still, we were later able to identify what phone number the user was calling us from, which we then turned over to the FBI and which was used to apprehend him. It is a pity, however, that fraud is not what the user was arrested for. Instead, he was arrested for the following posting which, while inflammatory, appears to me to be constitutionally protected free speech which is neither "terrorist threat" nor a real threat on the life of Sen. Leslie. It appears to me (though I am speaking for myself and not for Primenet) that Sen. Leslie abused his power in order to cause the arrest of this individual. I certainly have been totally unable to get this kind of response from law enforcement for cases of abuse which I have seen fit to report to them, ranging from con artists to individuals engaged in harassment to the point of death threats. BTW, the last time I spoke to an FBI agent about this particular case, I was told that there was probably nothing they would prosecute for, that they just wanted to talk to the user. ---begin article quotation--- Path: news.primenet.com!zuma From: Zuma Newsgroups: talk.environment,sci.environment,talk.politics.animals,rec.pets,ca.politics,rec.pets.cats,rec.animals.wildlife,rec.food.veg,alt.save-the-earth Subject: Re: Hunting Mountain Lions Followup-To: talk.environment,sci.environment,talk.politics.animals,rec.pets,ca.politics,rec.pets.cats,rec.animals.wildlife,rec.food.veg,alt.save-the-earth Date: 6 Mar 1996 16:09:00 -0700 Organization: Primenet (602)395-1010 Lines: 19 Sender: root@primenet.com Message-ID: <4hl5uc$6c4@nnrp1.news.primenet.com> References: <4e3573$105e@news.ccit.arizona.edu> <4e79n6$5a6@ixnews5.ix.netcom.com> <4e7lfe$bsg@ixnews7.ix.n <4g3pk3$7m0@cloner4.netcom.com> <4gnh1u$qur@oracle.damerica.net> X-Posted-By: zuma@usr3.primenet.com Xref: news.primenet.com talk.environment:58565 sci.environment:94565 talk.politics.animals:67399 rec.pets:57445 ca.politics:97674 rec.pets.cats:152834 rec.animals.wildlife:11723 rec.food.veg:78925 Instead of huntng Lions in California, let us declare open season on State SEN TIM LESLIE, his family, everyone he holds near and dear, the Cattlemen's association and anyone else who feels that LIONS in California should be killed. I think it would be great to see ths slimeball, asshole, conservative moron hunted down and skinned and mounted for our viewing pleasure. I would rather see every right-wing nut like scumface Leslie destroyed in the name of politicl sport, then lose one mountain lion whose only fault is havng to live in a state with a fuck-ed up jerk like this shit-faced republican and his supporters. Pray for his death. Pray for all their deaths. Lets HUNT Sen. Tim Leslie for sport? ---end article quotation--- -- Jim Lippard lippard@(primenet.com ediacara.org skeptic.com) Phoenix, Arizona http://www.primenet.com/~lippard/ PGP Fingerprint: 35 65 66 9F 71 FE 50 57 35 09 0F F6 14 D0 C6 04