SEATTLE, Wash. — Two Bellingham residents were charged with plotting a terrorist attack after they allegedly interfered with safety on local railroad tracks.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 27-year-old Samantha Frances Brooks and 23-year-old Ellen Brennan Reiche were arrested Saturday night in Bellingham after they allegedly placed a “shunt” on the tracks, which is a device comprised of wire and magnets that can disable various safety features.
While the pair are charged in only Saturday night’s incident, U.S. Attorney Brian Moran says there have been 41 incidents of shunts placed on BNSF tracks in Whatcom and Skagit Counties since January, causing crossing guards to malfunction, interfering with automatic braking systems, and, in one case, causing the near-derailment of tanks of hazardous chemicals.
Shortly after the first shunts were discovered in January, a claim of responsibility was published on an anarchist website.
Brooks and Reiche were arrested after triggering a game camera on BNSF property, the complaint said.
They made an initial court appearance Monday and were released pending a Dec. 14 hearing. Their attorneys declined to comment Monday afternoon.
The charges are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
