Tre Arrow released a statement to the media after appearing in federal court Monday.

The statement, shared with KGW by his sister, said "no matter how certain media and the FBI attempt to portray me, there are many who know truly what I stand for, where my heart lies and what my commitment is to this life... I am, and always have been, dedicated to helping this world."

AP

Michael Scarpitti, also known as Tre Arrow, is shown in this July 18, 2000, photo in Portland.

Tre Arrow pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland Monday after being extradited from a Canadian jail. Arrow failed in his attempt to seek asylum in that country, and will now face charges related to the firebombing of logging and cement trucks in 2001.

Prosecutors say Arrow, formerly Michael Scarpitti, was among four conspirators involved in bombings of a gravel company and a logging company in the Portland area between April and June of 2001.

He bowed to his friends and family in the Portland courtroom Monday but did not try to speak to them. His attorney requested that Tre Arrow stay in Multnomah County and also said his client needed a raw vegan diet, to satisfy his religious and spiritual beliefs.

His trial was scheduled to begin May 6th.

Arrow is remembered by some for the 11 days he spent on the 9-inch ledge of the U.S. Forest Service Building 30 feet above ground in downtown Portland to protest logging in the summer of 2000.

Arrow contended that guilty pleas in the U.S. by his accused co-conspirators were made because of plea agreements, and were thus unreliable.

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Background: Tre Arrow fought extradition

Arrow had fled to Canada on claims of refugee status, alleging he would face persecution in the U.S. for his political views, but was deemed inadmissible into Canada on those grounds because of past criminal charges.

He was arrested in Victoria, British Columbia, in March 2004 on charges of shoplifting, assault and obstructing a police officer.

The FBI claims that Arrow is associated with the Earth Liberation Front, a group that has claimed responsibility for dozens of acts of destruction over the past few years.

Federal agents say he was involved in an arson attack that blew up three trucks at the Ross Island Gravel Company and an attack on seven vehicles at a Mount Hood timber company.