Atlanta Olympics Bombing: Who Was The Centennial Park Bomber?

Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of bombing and death. Reader discretion is advised.

On July 27, 1996, a 40-pound pipe bomb exploded in the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta during the Olympic Games. Reports indicated that two people died because of the bombing, and several others were injured. In the initial rounds of investigation, an unknown source named a security guard, Richard Jewell, as the prime suspect. As the investigation progressed, authorities cleared Jewell in the case and named Eric Rudolph as the primary suspect. 

According to CNN, Richard Jewell spotted a suspicious backpack at an area of the venue, after which authorities started evacuating the area. In the meantime, an unknown person called 911 and told the dispatcher about the bomb at the Centennial Olympic Park. The caller warned the dispatcher that they had only half an hour to find and disarm the bomb. A few minutes later, the pipe bomb exploded, killing one woman on the spot and leaving more than 100 people injured. During the investigation, an unknown source told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via CNN) that Jewell was the prime suspect in the Atlanta Olympics bombing. Subsequently, he received a lot of hate from the public.

Almost four months later, the FBI announced that Richard Jewell was not being investigated for the explosion. According to People Magazine, police said that Jewell was no longer a person of interest. Authorities continued investigating the case, and almost two years later, the FBI named Eric Rudolph as the prime suspect in the Atlanta Olympics bombing. However, it would take them five more years to arrest Rudolph for multiple bombing incidents.

Atlanta Olympics Bombing: Who was the bomber, Eric Rudolph?

In February 1998, the FBI announced Eric Rudolph as the prime suspect in the Atlanta Olympics bombing. As time passed, authorities claimed that Rudolph might be responsible for more bombings. CNN reported that federal grand juries in Atlanta and Alabama indicted him on 23 charges. Almost six years after the Atlanta Olympics bombing, in May 2003, authorities finally apprehended Eric Rudolph in North Carolina. Two years later, he pleaded guilty to multiple bombings in Atlanta, Alabama, and Birmingham.

Eric Rudolph received four consecutive life sentences and an additional 120 years in prison for three bombings in Atlanta, including the Atlanta Olympics bombing. CNN further stated that the court gave him two life sentences for the bombing in Alabama.