FBI closes anarchist website

Armed FBI agents have raided the home of an 18 year-old Los Angeles geek and confiscated computer equipment used to run an anarchist website.

According to the site's supporters, the resulting case may test the limits of free speech on the internet in the wake of 11 September.

Although the Raisethefist.com site is no longer online, a report from the site's owner, Sherman Martin Austin, is in circulation.

"Heavily armed with high-powered machine guns, shotguns and hand guns, the FBI, Secret Service and Los Angeles Police Department surrounded the founder of Raisethefist.com in his house. Within seconds a swarm of FBI raided the house with automatic weapons and shotguns," said Austin's statement.

All computers on a network within the house were seized, including those serving the Raisethefist.com website via a DSL connection. Austin also hosted other anarchist sites including LAanarchists.org, which was also disrupted.

Although details of the arrest warrant have not been released, it is thought that Austin is accused of crimes relating to computer misuse and the distribution of bomb making information.

In the past, Austin has admitted to defacing a number of websites with anti-government messages.

The Raisethefist.com site also contained information on making Molotov cocktails, smoke bombs and pipe bombs. Such information is, of course, available on thousands of other websites.

"Since 1999, Raisethefist.com has been under extensive government monitoring," claimed Austin. "The FBI, police department and National Security Agency continually monitored the site on a daily basis."

"The FBI had also previously intercepted all packets going through the DSL line hosting the site, and have seized additional accounts being used by the site," he added.

Austin believes that the authorities have targeted him out of thousands of similar anarchist operations because Raisethefist.com had the potential to become a real threat.

He explained: "Kids started creating clubs in their schools called 'RaisetheFist'. People started utilising the collective as a powerful resource for the activist/anarchist community.

"They knew the site was turning into a strong collective, utilised by activists throughout the world committed to social justice. And that's become a crime. Justice has become a crime.

"Freedom has become a crime. Anyone actively disagreeing with policies of the US is now automatically rendered a 'terrorist' in the eyes of national security.

"Where Raisethefist.com will go from here, I don't know. Based on what I've been told, I'll most likely be in jail, so most of my focus will be towards getting an attorney."