Suspected Arsonist Appears In Portland Court After 13 Years As Fugitive

A fugitive on the run for more than a decade for his alleged role in a string of arsons along the West Coast as part of an environmental activist group was arrested while trying to board a plane in Cuba bound for Russia.

Joseph Dibee was scheduled to appear Friday afternoon in federal court in Portland where the government planned to ask a judge to keep Dibee detained.

Dibee faces federal charges in Oregon, Washington and California that include arson, conspiracy to commit arson and destruction of an energy facility, and possession of a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Dibee allegedly fled the United States in late 2005.

The U.S. Department of Justice said he was traveling through Central America on his way to Russia and was arrested by local authorities in Cuba during a planned stop there.

Dibee was indicted by a grand jury in 2006 along with 11 co-conspirators, the Department of Justice said in a release.

"The conspirators, known as 'The Family,' have been linked to more than 40 criminal acts ranging from vandalism to arson between 1995 and 2001, causing more than $45 million in damages," the DOJ said in its release.

This article will be updated.  [Copyright 2018 Oregon Public Broadcasting]