A New Jersey man yesterday pleaded guilty to setting fire to the McDonald's restaurant near the Space Needle in 2003, an act he claimed he did on behalf of two groups — Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front — that the government has termed domestic terrorists.

Under a plea agreement, Christopher W. McIntosh, 23, of Maple Shade, N.J., faces eight to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 16. His attorney, Stephan Illa, said McIntosh was motivated to make a deal because the government threatened to invoke an anti-terrorism statute and seek a mandatory minimum of 30 years if he lost at trial.

Fire broke out at the McDonald's restaurant at 222 Fifth Ave. N. about 1:50 a.m. on Jan. 20, 2003, when the restaurant was closed. Evidence collected at the scene, including fingerprints and DNA, linked McIntosh to the arson. Specifically, the FBI found that McIntosh was "the major contributor" of the DNA found on sunglasses recovered at the arson, and that latent fingerprints found on a can of spray paint left there matched McIntosh's.

McIntosh admitted he carried several gallons of gasoline onto the restaurant's roof and set it on fire, causing $5,000 damage.

At 10:39 a.m. that same day, McIntosh placed an anonymous phone call to the Seattle arson tipline, stating, "[t]here was an E-L-F-A-L-F hit at McDonald's across from the Space Needle. There will be more. ... As long as mother Earth is pillaged, raped, destroyed. As long as McDonald's keeps hurting our furry brothers, there will be more."

Illa said he could shed no light on his client's association with ELF or ALF, two loosely knit groups that the FBI says are serious domestic-terrorism threats. The FBI estimates that animal-rights and environmental extremists have committed more than 1,100 criminal acts in the U.S. since 1976, resulting in damages "conservatively estimated" at $110 million.

ELF and ALF have claimed credit for numerous arsons and acts of vandalism at McDonald's restaurants throughout the U.S., including attempted arsons at two McDonald's in Chico, Calif., in March 2003 and a $500,000 arson at a Tucson, Ariz., restaurant in September 2001.

Last week, the Building Industry Association of Washington, the state's homebuilders lobby, offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of "ELF terrorists" suspected of committing crimes in Washington state. The crimes include arsons and attempted arsons at homes under construction in King and Snohomish counties.

Peter Lewis: 206-464-2217 or plewis@seattletimes.com