| WASHINGTON - December 5 - The National Abortion
Federation (NAF) today commended law enforcement officials who
captured Clayton Lee Waagner, a domestic terrorist who has claimed
responsibility for over 550 anthrax threat letters sent to abortion
providers in October and November. The letters were signed by the
Army of God, a domestic terrorist organization. "We are pleased
that law enforcement officials have apprehended Clayton Waagner so
that he cannot carry out his threats to murder forty-two
individuals working at abortion clinics around the country," stated
Vicki Saporta, the Executive Director of NAF. "We are hopeful that
law enforcement officials will also be able to identify and
apprehend any others who assisted Waagner in sending the anthrax
threat letters and evading capture for so many months."
The anthrax threat letters sent to abortion clinics did not test
positive for anthrax, but Waagner has said he would not hesitate to
use anthrax if he had access to it. Members of the Army of God
have praised his actions and also support the use of anthrax in
attempts to terrorize staff at abortion clinics. "It is important
that Waagner was apprehended before he could use real anthrax to
threaten the lives of not only women's reproductive health care
providers, but also mail handlers, emergency response teams and the
general public," said Saporta. Continuing, Saporta said, "Although
we are pleased that Waagner will no longer be able to carry out
acts of terrorism, only when we stop the activities of domestic
terrorist organizations like the Army of God can we truly put an
end to the violence against women's reproductive health care
providers."
Saporta emphasized that women's reproductive health care
providers would not be deterred as a result of anti-choice
terrorism. "Our members will continue to remain open to provide
necessary reproductive health care services to women."
Clayton Waagner escaped from federal prison in February and was
finally apprehended today at a Kinko's in Cincinnati. For the past
ten months while Waagner evaded law enforcement, he has stolen
several vehicles and committed bank robberies in North Dakota, West
Virginia and Pennsylvania.
The National Abortion Federation is the professional association
of abortion providers in the U.S. and Canada dedicated to ensuring
that abortion remains safe, legal and accessible.
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