SEATTLE (AP) -- A 22-year-old New Jersey man has been arrested in connection with a 2003 arson fire in Seattle that federal officials believe was an environmental-activism crime.
Christopher W. McIntosh, of Maple Shade, N.J., was arrested Wednesday, the U.S. attorney's office said. McIntosh made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia and was expected to be transported to Seattle to face one count of arson.
According to federal prosecutors, McIntosh set fire to a McDonald's restaurant near the Space Needle in the early morning hours of Jan. 20, 2003. Witnesses reported seeing a man between 15 and 22, dressed in dark clothing and carrying a backpack, fleeing the scene.
The Seattle arson tip line received a call a few hours after the fire saying the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front were responsible for the fire.
Evidence was found on the roof of the restaurant, including a black gym bag that contained a gas can, hacksaw, sunglasses, and a can of spray paint, and linked McIntosh to the fire, federal prosecutors said. Records at a Seattle youth center also indicated he was living in the area at the time of the fire.
