The SLA started in 1973 when around 10 college-educated youths from middle-class families adopted a seven-headed snake as their symbol and an ex-convict as their leader. Their slogan: "Death to the fascist insect that preys upon the life of the people."
Besides kidnapping Hearst, the group claimed responsibility for the murder of a school superintendent and was involved in a bank robbery and other violent activities. Eventually those activities caught up with the group's members, including Olson, who was charged in the attempted bombings.
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