The Coalition of National Brigades was an obscure Haitian group that claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of American Ambassador to Haiti Clinton E. Knox on January 23rd, 1973. Knox was kidnapped while traveling to his residence by two men and one woman. The kidnappers demanded the release of 31 named prisoners and $1,000,000 in cash (some reports say $500,000). After nearly a full day of negotiations spearheaded by the French Ambassador, the group agreed to the release of 12 prisoners and the payment of $70,000 in exchange for Ambassador Knox. Later that day, the three kidnappers and the 12 prisoners were flown to Mexico City aboard a cargo plane.   <P><br /><br />Little is known about the Coalition of National Brigades, though some reports indicate that they were leftists. Whatever their official political affiliations, they clearly were opponents of the dictatorial regime of Jean-Claude Duvalier, also known as Baby Doc. Duvalier was infamous for jailing and even executing political opponents. Ambassador Knox was seen as a Duvalier "apologist." While the demand for a substantial ransom indicates that the group may have had criminal motives, the main focus of the attack seems to be the release of the prisoners. The specific sentences behind the incarcerations of the 31 prisoners on the Coalition's list are unknown, but it is likely that at least some of them were political prisoners. <P><br /><br />

The Coalition of National Brigades never claimed credit for another terrorist attack. It is not known what became of the three kidnappers. They may have continued to live in exile in Mexico or elsewhere, or they may have returned to Haiti. The odds are that the Coalition of National Brigades was not an active terrorist group, but a name adopted for a single operation. <P>

The Coalition to Save the Preserves (CSP) was the name used by Mark Warren Sands as a front for his arsons in the cities of Tucson and Phoenix in Arizona.  In an anonymous interview with the Phoenix New Times, Sands claimed that the group was made up of young mountain bikers opposed to the spread of housing development into natural preserves in Arizona, and referred to the prominent ecoterrorist group Earth Liberation Front (ELF) as its "kindred spirits." It appears, however, that he was the lone arsonist, and acted out of personal, not environmental motives.