Ex-Washington state Democrat campaigner among two charged over terrorist attack

Ellen Brennan Reiche, 27, and Samantha Frances Brooks, 23, were arrested over the weekend by federal authorities in Bellingham, Wash. and charged with committing a terrorist attack on a railroad facility.

ADVERTISEMENT
Image
Andy Ngo U.S.
ADVERTISEMENT

Original Publication Date: December 2, 2020

Two suspected militant far-left activists in Washington state have been federally charged for a terrorist attack following an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation into dozens of attempts to derail trains.

Ellen Brennan Reiche, 27, and Samantha Frances Brooks, 23, were arrested over the weekend by federal authorities in Bellingham, Wash. and charged with committing a terrorist attack on a railroad facility.

According to the criminal complaint, Reiche and Brooks were placing wired devices known as “shunts” over BNSF Railway tracks in the middle of the night on Nov. 28. The wires are capable of disrupting a train’s electrical signal and cause it to erroneously brake.

“Depending on the location, the shunt may also interfere with the proper operation of crossing gates at railroad/traffic intersections, causing the gates to allow vehicular traffic across the tracks even when a train is oncoming,” wrote the officer assigned in the Seattle Division of the FBI in the affidavit.

Ellen Brennan Reiche, 23, of Bellingham, Wash., has been charged with a federal terrorism offense

The two suspects were caught by a Whatcom County deputy. Reiche was carrying a bag that contained gloves, supplies and tools needed to make the wired devices. The insulated copper wire Reiche was carrying was similar to what was used in 41 other attacks on the railway this year, including an incident on Oct. 11 where a train carrying combustible material was decoupled from the engine after riding over a shunt.

Reiche was parked nearby at the time of the duo’s arrest and their vehicle has a sticker on the back with the text “INDIGENOUS LAND” over a map of the entire United States.

Ellen Brennan Reiche was parked nearby the scene of the terrorist attack in November. Photo: US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington??

The affidavit names extreme Antifa website It’s Going Down for claiming responsibility for railway attacks in the Pacific Northwest earlier this year. The site said in a post that the direct actions were done to “fight against colonial invasion” in relation to the building of the Coastal GasLink Pipeline project in British Columbia, Canada. It called for others to carry out more attacks.  

Reiche and Brooks have mostly scrubbed their online presence but some remaining clues give insight into who Reiche is.

Reiche, who identifies as “non-binary” and uses “they/them” pronouns, was the deputy field organizer for Washington State Democrats, according to their now-deleted LinkedIn profile. (The official Democrat organization has been reached for comment.)

Ellen Brennan Reiche co-founded and leads the ‘Bellingham Lesbian Collective’

Additionally, Reiche is a radical queer and environmental activist who co-founded the Bellingham Lesbian Collective. They are a co-host on “The L World” lesbian-themed podcast.

Reiche and Brooks made their first court appearance on Monday and have been released on pre-trial. Their next court date is scheduled for Dec. 14. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Join and support independent free thinkers!

We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.

Support The Post Millennial

Remind me next month

To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
ADVERTISEMENT
© 2024 The Post Millennial, Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell My Personal Information