Who is a terrorist: A gunman who kills nine people in cold blood or a person who frees mammals to save them from being butchered?
The FBI provides a startling answer.
Less than a month after FBI Director James Comey was quoted as saying he does not consider gunman Dylann Roof a "terrorist" after he murdered nine people inside a church in Charleston, South Carolina, the bureau announced the arrest of two animal rights activists and accused them of engaging in "domestic terrorism" for releasing thousands of minks from farms around the US.
Last week, FBI agents arrested animal rights activists Joseph Buddenberg and Nicole Kissane. They were arrested, according to the FBI, because "they released thousands of minks from farms around the country and vandalised various properties."
The two are now being prosecuted and vilified as "terrorists," facing 10-year prison terms and a fine of $250,000.
A federal grand jury indictment said the two caused more than $100,000 in damage in their nationwide spree in 2013.
The two are accused of sneaking onto farms, freeing minks and destroying breeding records in Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. In one instance, they released a bobcat on a farm in Montana.
According to the indictment, the two, who were unemployed, sold items on eBay and Amazon to finance their trips. They withdrew large amount of money from their bank accounts to avoid detection by law enforcement.
During their trips, they avoided using phones and logging on their online accounts and email, and used only cash for purchases.
On July 15, 2013, Buddenberg and Kissane traveled from Oregon to San Diego and used paint, paint stripper, a super glue-type substance, butyric acid, muriatic acid and glass etchant to vandalize Furs by Graf, a retail furrier located in San Diego, as well as the Spring Valley and La Mesa residences and personal property of the current and former owners of the business.
They are also charged with vandalism for slashing the tires of a meat distributor's truck in San Francisco; smashing windows and glueing the door locks of a furrier business in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and vandalising and attempted to flood the Sun Prairie, Wisconsin home of an employee of the North American Fur Auctions.
"Whatever your feelings about the fur industry, there are legal ways to make your opinions known," said Attorney Laura Duffy. "The conduct alleged here, sneaking around at night, stealing property and vandalising homes and businesses with acid, glue, and chemicals, is a form of domestic terrorism and can't be permitted to continue."
