When news broke that vandals had struck Democratic Party headquarters in Denver, aiming hammers at health care reform posters, it seemed the sole arrested suspect, Maurice Schwenkler, might well be part of a Republican thug squad. But then dscriber located campaign records indicating Schwenkler was affiliated with a group that works for Democratic interests. So came a new theory that Schwenkler was perhaps trying to make Republicans look bad, leading the GOP to demand an apology from Pat Waak, the Democratic Party chairwoman who implied the attack was plotted by anti-health care reform conservatives.

Today, Schwenkler's mysterious story -- still based largely on speculation -- takes another strange twist. According to anonymous friends pleading for help, Schwenkler is a transgendered anarchist who goes by the name "Ariel Attack."

An anonymous post entitled, "Anarchist Arrested in Denver," at InfoShop, a site that calls on users to "kill capitalism before it kills you!," urged activists to help bail Schwenkler out of jail (as of Thursday morning, it appeared the post had been yanked from Internet). "At this moment, we do not know Ariel's status within the jail, especially regarding her gender classification. We have been unable to talk with Ariel since she went in. She is listed in the jail records and media under her birth name."

The message was posted late last night and Schwenkler has since bailed out, disappearing onto Denver's streets. Missing is any explanation for the incident or any indication of the identity of a second suspect who successfully eluded police.

Here's another piece: Schwenkler has a protester's history -- an arrest at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., last year for refusing police orders to leave a bridge. Sounds very anarchist-y -- and knowing anarchists, their philosophy is neither pro-Democrat nor pro-Republican.