Cursive graffiti left at the action site, which helped identify the comrade.
In March 2023, a comrade was arrested[1] and charged with a May 2022 arson attack on the headquarters of an anti-abortion group[2]. The arson was the first in a series of attacks claimed under the name “Jane's Revenge” — a reference to the “Jane Collective”, an underground organization that facilitated access to abortion in the United States from 1969 to 1973.
In a 2024 trial, the comrade was sentenced to 7 and a half years in prison[3].
Techniques used
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Forensics | ||
| DNA | In May 2022, DNA traces were collected from several items found by investigators at the action site, including a broken window, a glass jar, a lighter, and an intact Molotov cocktail[4]. In March 2023, police saw the comrade who was later arrested discard a brown paper bag containing a partially eaten burrito in a public trash can. DNA traces collected from the bag's contents matched those collected at the action site. | |
| Handwriting analysis | A comparison between the cursive graffiti left at the action site and the same style of graffiti painted a few months later during a demonstration helped identify the comrade who was later arrested[4]. | |
| Physical surveillance | ||
| Mobile | In March 2023, cops secretely observed the comrade who was later arrested from a distance of about 30 meters[4]. The cops watched the comrade discard a paper bag, retrieved it, and collected DNA evidence linking the comrade to the action site. | |
| Mass surveillance | ||
| Video surveillance | CCTV footage helped identify a vehicle driven by the comrade who was later arrested, when they were seen entering a parking lot on foot after a demonstration, and the vehicle was seen leaving the same parking lot a few minutes later[4]. | |