Olympics Bombing Suspect Rudolph Arrested The Associated Press Saturday, May 31, 2003; 10:00 AM CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Eric Rudolph, the longtime fugitive charged in the 1996 Olympic Park bombing and in attacks at an abortion clinic and a gay nightclub, was arrested early Saturday in the mountains of North Carolina, a Justice Department official confirmed. The FBI confirmed Rudolph's identity through a fingerprint match, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "They got him," the official said. Sheriff's deputies in western North Carolina had spotted a man digging in a trash bin in the small town of Murphy at about 4:30 a.m., said Special Agent John Iannarelli in Washington. He said the man appeared to be homeless but when they deputies approached him, they recognized him as Rudolph. Rudolph had eluded a massive manhunt, much of it in the North Carolina mountains, for five years and was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list. The FBI had offered a $1 million reward for his capture. The 36-year-old Army veteran and experienced outdoorsman hadn't been seen since July 1998 after he took supplies from a health store owner in North Carolina. Authorities spent years searching the rural mountains and caves of western North Carolina for any trace of Rudolph. They ran across some camping sites believed to be his and found cartons of oatmeal and raisins, jars of peanuts and vitamins, and cans of tuna they said were the same brands Rudolph ate. Rudolph, a Florida native who moved to North Carolina in 1981, is believed to adhere to Christian Identity, a white supremacist religion that is anti-gay, anti-Semitic and anti-foreigner. Some of the four bombs Rudolph was charged with planting included messages from the shadowy "Army of God." Authorities believe that on July 27, 1996, Rudolph placed a bomb hidden in a knapsack in Atlanta's crowded Centennial Olympic Park during the summer Olympic games. The explosion at the crowded park killed one woman and injured 111 other people. Rudolph was charged in 1998 with that bombing and three others - at a gay nightclub in Atlanta and an office building north of Atlanta in 1997, and at an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Ala., in 1998, where a police officer was killed. In all, the bombings killed two people and wounded more than 100 people, according to the FBI. The search for Rudolph began a day after the Birmingham blast. He was initially sought as a witness: A gray 1989 Nissan pickup truck registered in his name was seen near the clinic following the explosion. He was tied to the bombings when authorities who searched a storage locker he had rented in Murphy found nails like those used in the clinic attacks. At its height, the search for Rudolph in the mountainous region in western North Carolina, just over the Tennessee border, included more than 200 federal agents. In 2000, it was scaled back to less than a handful of agents working out of a National Guard Armory just outside Murphy. Pockets of western North Carolina have had a reputation as a haven for right-wing extremists. Some there mocked the government's inability to find Rudolph with bloodhounds, infrared-equipped helicopters and space-age motion detectors - and some said they would hide him if asked. The FBI had said it believed Rudolph was somewhere in the Nantahala National Forest, living on his own, breaking into vacant vacation cabins, stealing from local gardens. ---
Just another item on the 20+ year list of things to do to repair the damage inflicted on this nation by the adulterer/rapist/murderer/traitor that was Bill Clinton. In another 5 years or so, the (still) gutted FBI may, (I repeat, MAY) be able to catch a cold. Thanks Reno, you old bag!
Ohhhhhhh K---- Finally, i'm glad they got him, this is an excellent example of why it will be so hard to find Osama, Saddam & Sons, etc.
What,......are you one those social braintrusts who think that those Chinese generals gave Clinton 3 mil out of the goodness of their hearts? I'd recommend David Schippers book, "Sell Out" before the maggots get a hold of your gray matter.
Ohhhhhhhh K Is that one of those "Pop Up books" that comes with a 45 record that dings when its time to turn the page?
So does anyone think he will be extradited to, say, Birmingham? Or stay in NC? Or be moved to Atlanta?
Ahh no, actually its a NY Times bestseller. Schipper is a life long democrat and lawyer and a leader in the Illinois Dem party machine. Can't stand it when one of your own turns on you, can you?
Awesome! Rush Hannity O'Coulter couldn't have said it better! Here's some advice from Seinfeld's own Eric the Clown: "You should forget it! You're livin' in the past, man! You're hung up on some president from the nineties, man!"
This is one of the most overblown arguments ever. GW Bush even after the plane was brought down and held by China, kept plans for a military exchange program, where we sent military personel to China and they sent military personel to the U.S. Military exchanges with China aren't new and they haven't stopped.
do those guys know how to promote the stereotype or what? next time theres a bombing, just check the local woods.
Terrorists like Rudolph who mindlessly murder innocent bystanders to make a political or social point need to be dealt with harshly. His lawyers will ask for a life sentance...but his disregard for human life would for sure put his fellow inmates and prison guards at risk. Hes a good candidate for the death penalty.
