Olympic spirit overcomes bombing
Sunday, July 28, 1996
Over 100 injured, one killed Saturday in Centennial ParkBy Charles J. Hanley
The Associated Press
ATLANTA -- The Games went on but the buoyant Olympic spirit lay wounded Saturday in the aftermath of a bombing that killed one person, injured more than 100 and exploded hopes that this great global festival would escape the terrorism of a troubled world.
Inch by inch, federal agents were searching the bombing site in Centennial Olympic Park for evidence. And the nation, still stunned by the loss of TWA Flight 800, was searching for reasons why someone would strike at the Atlanta Games.
Investigators keyed in on a mysterious 911 caller who calmly warned of an explosion in a half-hour. It was just 18 minutes later, however, as police inspected a suspicious bag, that the pipe-bomb blast sent terrified late-night revelers scattering "like wildfire" across downtown Atlanta.
"We will track them down. We will bring them to justice," President Clinton said in Washington, where he had returned from an Olympic visit barely 24 hours before the attack.
No immediate claims of responsibility were reported.
However, within two hours of the bomb blast, police charged an unidentified man with making terroristic threats. Police said they don't believe he is the park bomber, although the man told them he had a bomb in his bag and planned to blow up a hotel and other places.
"It may very well be merely coincidental," said Atlanta police Lt. Cal Moss.
Soon after the 1:25 a.m. Saturday bombing, an army of security personnel tightened its net around the Olympics, halfway through the two-week schedule. For the first time, heavily armed soldiers were deployed at competition venues. Tougher security checks caused delays and long lines.
"We must go into a different mode, a much more heightened sense of awareness," said Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell.
At the Olympic Athletes Village, at the Georgia Tech campus, U.S., Canadian and Dutch officials recommended their athletes stay put or if they had competition scheduled to come straight home.
Jittery Atlantans phoned in other scares over suspicious packages as the long, nervous Saturday wore on. Officials said scores of threats and false alarms had been recorded since the games began July 19, including some 120 abandoned or suspicious parcels that were investigated and proved harmless.
Atlanta Fire Department Lt. Edwin Higginbotham identified the bombing victim as Alice Hawthorne, 44, a cable TV company receptionist from Albany, Ga.
Turkish broadcasting officials said one of their cameramen, Melih Uzunyol, 40, died of a heart attack while running to film the explosion's aftermath.
Most of the 111 injured suffered minor wounds or shock, officials said. Only 11 were hospitalized, all in stable condition.
Terror struck a vulnerable target, a new, 21-acre downtown park where tens of thousands of tourists and locals have been gathering for pop-music concerts, to visit corporate pavilions and to simply soak in the "Olympic spirit."
At 1:07 a.m., an unidentified caller at a pay phone just two blocks away told a 911 operator there would be an explosion in Centennial Olympic Park in 30 minutes, a law enforcement official said on condition of anonymity.
Investigators believe the caller was a white male, and he had no distinguishable accent, said the FBI's Woody Johnson.
At about the same time, witnesses later reported, a security guard advised police he spotted a suspicious-looking bag at the rear of the audience.
Police moved spectators back, and bomb-squad officers examined the bag and saw three pipes inside, the federal official said. Before further action could be taken, the device exploded.
For a long, puzzled moment hundreds just stood there after others fell, videotape of the scene showed.
"We thought it was part of the show," said another spectator, Willie Peters of Marietta. He looked to his side and saw his mother-in-law on the ground, crying in pain, hit in the back by metal debris.
Later, it seemed clear the damage could have been worse if the guard had not spotted the bag or police not moved the crowd back, or if the bomb had been bigger.
Clinton said the "brave security personnel ... prevented a much greater loss of life." Some security personnel were among the injured.
Within hours of the explosion, Olympic organizers announced the tragic episode would not upset the competition schedule.
"The games will go on," said Francois Carrard, director general of the International Olympic Committee.
The decision found wide acceptance among athletes and fans.
"To let whoever did this get away with this and cancel the games, that would be absurd," said U.S. basketball star Charles Barkley.
The Associated Press
The Olympic flag flies at half mast in Olympic Stadium in recognition of the Saturday bombing in Centennial Olympic Park.
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