Alleged eco-terrorist Rubin surrenders

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BLAINE, Wash., Nov. 30 (UPI) -- An accused environmental radical, on the run for a decade after charges relating to a series of arsons, has surrendered to authorities in Blaine, Wash.

The FBI announced Rebecca Jeanette Rubin, 39, a Canadian citizen, surrendered in to U.S. authorities at the Canadian-U.S. border.

She faces U.S. federal charges of arson and conspiracy in three states for her alleged involvement in The Family, a radical cell from Eugene, Ore., affiliated with the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front. The group is believed responsible for 20 cases of arson in western states from 1996 to 2001, officials said.

The group was known for coordinated attacks on targets including a Vail, Colo., ski resort, an Oregon car dealership and federal wild horse corrals in Oregon and California. Damage estimates from their actions range from $23 million to $40 million, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Ten members of the cell pleaded guilty in 2007 to arson and conspiracy charges and were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 37 months to 13 years.

After Rubin's surrender, two members remain at large, the BBC said.

"Rubin's arrest marks the end of her decade-long period as an international fugitive in the largest eco-terrorism case in United States history," a U.S. Justice Department statement said.