THe Earth Defenders Group is a nationwide American terrorist organization on the FBI's radar with a significant presence in the beginning of Season 8 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
History[]
The FBI tracked EDG once connecting them with a series of arsons and bombings targeting big name companies responsible for questionable, amoral, and illegal practices ranging from pollution to animal cruelty to GMO products. The feds would always have difficulty with catching the group and started sending in informants deep undercover, including Haley Kerns.
When Haley gets a morning after pill after being raped and tortured, her handlers, Agents Lockwood and Dana Lewis hears she's been made, but all signs point away from the terrorists and instead to Zander Owens, Haley's drug dealer ex-boyfriend she turned in and later killed out of revenge after she was raped and brutalized. Nevertheless, since Haley was continuing under blackmail by the FBI after the group brainwashed her, the agents had to reign her actions in, but they didn't stop her from donating drug money to various charities at the group's behest.
Haley nevertheless informed the detectives and agents a major bombing was underway at Gen-Eng Foods, with chapter leader Andy Dell working with accomplices on the arrangements. Detective Benson supervised Haley to make sure she didn't backstab them again during the operations. Dell, having worked as security for months, let the group in, including Haley's boyfriend Justin. When Haley and Benson were assuming positions, Haley knocked Benson down, started assembling a bomb, and demanded she and Lewis get downstairs in tears, not wanting them to die. Lewis resorted to shooting Haley, and the rest of the terrorists in the chapter are arrested, except for Dell once he got away. Benson then replaces Haley as the informant to track the highest-ranking leaders in the group. (SVU: "Informed")
Benson gets assaulted by responding dispatch officers and arrested during an operation where she's closest to the remaining leaders. She's charged and arraigned to be tried, but when the major player they're looking for is revealed to be in custody in Montreal, she's relieved of assignment and gets back to a case she got involved in where she was stationed, then returned to Manhattan for her testimony at an important trial (SVU: "Infiltrated")
Known Members[]
- Unnamed leader (incarcerated)
- Andy Dell (lieutenant; incarcerated)
- Mitchell Hissam (incarcerated)
- Persephone Free James (incarcerated)
- Justin (surname unknown: incarcerated)
- Hope (surname unknown; status unknown)
- Haley Kerns (informant gone rogue; deceased)
Known Victims[]
- 2003-2005: Numerous unspecified death threats
- August 2003: Numerous victimless sports vehicle arsons
- 2005, New Jersey: Victimless pharm company vandalism
- 2006:
- The log cabin bombing (blew up a cabin with dynamite in a freezer; all survived):
- The Gen-Eng Foods attempted bombing:
- Haley Kerns (attempted to have killed in a suicide bombing; was shot by Agent Lewis instead)
- Special Agent Dana Lewis (nearly killed by a bomb)
- Detective Olivia Benson (nearly killed by a bomb)