Just one day after a second McDonald’s restaurant was targeted in Chico, California by Animal Liberation Front (ALF) arsonists, a group of three fast-food establishments in Albuquerque were firebombed early yesterday morning.
Two Albuquerque McDonald’s restaurants, one Arby’s, and a police cruiser were all hit by the unknown New Mexico arsonist(s). So far, the ALF has only issued a written claim of responsibility for the first Chico attack. Both Chico restaurants were spray-painted with animal-rights slogans and “ALF” tags, but no such graffiti has been reported in Albuquerque.
Destruction inside the restaurants included fire damage and broken windows, as well as damage to inventory. A fire department spokesperson told the Albuquerque Tribune that “smoke really does a lot of damage to food.” She also stated the obvious in the University of New Mexico’s Daily Lobo: “Workers are terrified.”
One of the McDonald’s restaurants, says the Tribune, was “too severely burned to open” for business yesterday. In addition, at least 15 Arby’s employees will be out of work until the damage to that restaurant can be repaired.
Law enforcement officials have not confirmed whether the Albuquerque bomber(s) used an incendiary device matching the recipe demonstrated by convicted ALF arsonist Rodney Coronado in a January appearance on a Washington, DC college campus. At least one of the Chico arsons was attempted with a dead-ringer for Coronado’s weapon of choice.
