SAN DIEGO -- A former leader of the Earth Liberation Front said he is a "patriot" fighting for the rights and health of Americans. But, the FBI said the former leader is nothing more than a "terrorist." The ELF is one of the FBI's top priorities in its fight against domestic terrorism.

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Hear Ex-ELF Member Speaks Out

But, during an exclusive interview with 10News, former ELF leader and spokesman Leslie James Pickering, (pictured, left), described the group's members as freedom fighters, not terrorists.

"Violence is a necessary element of an oppressive struggle," Pickering said.

ELF members have taken responsibility for dozens of arsons and other attacks. They claim the attacks are "necessary actions to overthrow an oppressive government."

The largest and most destructive ELF attack occurred in San Diego last summer at the 206 unit La Jolla Crossroads condominium project.

"We can lobby and petition and hold signs until the cows come home, and it's not going to make a difference whatsoever. We need to get out there and fight our wars, the same way they fight their wars," Pickering said.

Pickering said the legal means of affecting change have been exhausted, so ELF members force change through violent and highly visible attacks. Pickering added that despite the FBI's efforts to stop the group, the movement continues to grow. The ELF uses a video, available on the Internet, to recruit new members.

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Besides the fire at La Jolla Crossroads, ELF has also claimed responsibility for arsons across the United States. But, finding the people responsible has been very difficult.

An FBI expert on domestic terrorism said ELF is a lot like al-Qaida. The expert said ELF isolates its members and individual groups from the overall organization to protect them from prosecution.

The ELF. recruiting tape also showed potential new recruits how to set up cells, how to make fire bombs and how to avoid capture.

According to 10News, the group has been very successful.

The ELF. is now under investigation for more than 40 arsons and attempted arsons across the United States, causing $100 million in damage. Only a handful of alleged ELF. members have even been questioned for the crimes.

Randy Parson, a 19-year FBI veteran, is leading the fight to stop the ELF. and other domestic terror groups.

"I did some work at Ruby Ridge, on the Oklahoma City bombing, and I was also in Waco for eight weeks," Parson told 10News.

But, Parson said he has never seen anything on the United State's soil that is quite like the ELF.

"It's not like the traditional FBI investigation of say, the national organized crime problems where there are a number of connections across jurisdictional lines. The localized nature of the problem does make it more difficult to investigate," Parson said.

The ELF. said it will never be stopped and its former spokesman encouraged members to step up their attacks.

"I don't think they're going far enough at all. They're only part of a larger building revolutionary movement that won't stop until it has a successful overthrow of this country," Pickering said.

Parson said that type of rhetoric will lead to an escalation of ELF. attacks and more serious crimes.

"If these aren't stopped, there will be loss of life at some point in the future," Parson said.

Pickering said because of the ELF's unique way of establishing and training cells, he does not think the group's leadership will ever be arrested.

But, the FBI said it is getting new clues every day, and it is only a matter of time before the walls come crumbling down around the Earth Liberation Front.