‘Act of terrorism’ kills two in Atlanta 110 believed injured in early-morning bomb blast

ATLANTA — A night of Olympic revelry turned to horror early Saturday as a bomb exploded at a crowded rock concert in the social center of the Games, killing two people and injuring 110 others. “We will consider it an act of terrorism,” said FBI Special Agent George “Woody” Johnson as the city reeled in chaos following the 1:15 a.m. blast at Centennial Olympic Park. But just four hours after the explosion, Olympic and police officials called a news conference to announce that the Games would continue without interruption, save a moment of silence for the victims at the beginning of each event. President Clinton called the attack “an evil act of terror” and “an act of cowardice that stands in sharp contrast to the courage of the Olympic athletes.” “We will spare no effort to find out who was responsible for this murderous act,” Clinton said. “We will track them down. We will bring them to justice.” A caller to 911 warned of a bomb moments before the explosion. The call came too close to the time of the blast to alert people at the park, though officers there already had begun clearing the area after finding a suspicious package. Johnson said the explosion injured 110 people — a check with hospitals put the count at 103 — and occurred as bomb experts were investigating the package, which had been spotted at the concert, near the Swatch and AT&T pavilions inside the park. The package was spotted by a police officer who had been called to the area to deal with some “unruly individuals,” Johnson said. A bomb squad, on standby for just such an incident, quickly determined that the package contained explosives, but “before they were able to clear the area, the device went off,” Johnson said. Johnson said he had “no additional information about other threats or devices,” but rumors swirled that police had found more bombs in or near Olympic sites and Johnson did nothing to dispel them when he said police were checking all leads. Witnesses’ accounts of the blast varied. “I saw lots of smoke and heard a big explosion, very big,” police Officer Ron Otero said. “The next thing you saw was people on the ground.” Cameraman Mark Field from KNBC in Los Angeles said he was shooting footage at the performance by the band Jack Mack and the Heart Attack when “a security guard tried to move us back because he said there was a suspicious package. We got about 50 feet away and turned back. About five minutes later, we saw a large flash-bang. It did not seem that large a bomb because the package was not that big, but pieces were flying everywhere.” The blast itself was captured by a German television crew as it filmed an interview with U.S. swimmer Janet Evans. The footage was broadcast numerous times throughout the morning. Live television feeds from the park showed numerous victims of the blast being treated for cuts and other wounds, many lying flat on the ground. Other victims could be seen staggering from the park as scores of ambulances, fire trucks and police cars stood by. One of the most seriously injured appeared to be a police officer. Corinthian Lynon, 20, from Atlanta, said the bomb “just blew up. There were about 30 people trying to crawl away. Then there were about four left lying in a fetal position.” Steve Deal from Conyers, Ga., said he had seen a woman with her legs blown off, blood oozing from her knees.

Johnson said two people died. But one, Turkish Radio and Television cameraman Melih Uzunyol, died of a heart attack while running to film the explosion’s aftermath, TRT said. WSB-TV quoted journalist Zafer Akyol, a friend of Uzunyol, as saying Uzunyol had a history of heart problems. An woman was the other fatality. Her name wasn’t immediately released. Dr. Gail Anderson, chief of staff at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, said his hospital had received 31 or 32 victims. The injuries ranged from scratches to broken bones. Anderson said he had seen numerous shrapnel injuries and some cases of fingers blown off victims’ hands. At least two operations were scheduled. Shirley Hawkins of Piedmont Hospital said her hospital also had been told to brace for a flood of victims. As the startling events unfolded live on cable and network television, police and Olympic officials called a news conference to say that no schedules would be changed. “The Games will go on,” said Francois Carrard, director of the International Olympics Committee. “I repeat: The Games will go on.” Carrard said that a moment of silence for the victims would be observed at the start of each event and that Olympic flags at all sites would be flown at half-staff. Security, already tight, will get even tighter, the FBI’s Johnson said. “We will sanitize the rest of the park,” he said. “All of the venues will be sanitized again.” At Lake Lanier, site of Saturday’s rowing finals, soldiers carrying machine guns patrolled the grounds. Soldiers — rather than the usual Olympic security — manned the security checkpoints. Athletes as well as spectators were searched thoroughly. After the blast, police cordoned off a three-block area around the park, which was built just for the Olympics and has become a daily gathering place for thousands of tourists, athletes and journalists. The Red Cross has set up a phone number (404-685-8285) for people to check on family and friends. No American athletes were injured, U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Mike Moran said. There were no immediate reports of athletes from other countries having been injured. “I feel bad for the people who were killed, and I feel bad for the people who were injured,” said Charles Barkley, who is staying with other Dream Team players at a hotel about a block from the blast. “It’s something we thought about coming into the Olympics, but it’s not something we thought would happen. I just feel bad for the families involved.” Barkley fully supported the plan to continue with the Games. “To let whoever did this get away with this and cancel the Games, that would be absurd,” he said. Billy Payne, president of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, said no one had ever recommended to him that security for the park be tightened. “People have to have some freedom of movement,” he said this morning on NBC’s “Today” show. Mayor Bill Campbell praised police for reacting quickly before the explosion. “The security knew it was a problem, and they evacuated the area, avoiding a tragedy of epic proportions,” Campbell said. “The ultimate message we must send is that you can’t be beaten by terrorism. It’s a bad day for Atlanta, it’s a bad day for the Olympic Games, and it’s a bad day for the country.” Witness Desmond Edwards, an Atlanta school teacher, said the ground shook when the bomb exploded. “Some people looked really messed up. There were rivers of blood,” Edwards said. “I thought it was fireworks, like a big boom, and I saw three guys laying in the street,” said witness Terry Tyson. “They all had leg injuries. Blood was running down the street. It was horrible.” Justice Department spokeswoman Carole Florman in Washington said the FBI confirmed that the explosion was caused by a pipe bomb. Florman said there were a number of calls after the blast alerting authorities to abandoned or suspicious parcels. Since the games’ Opening Ceremonies July 19, about 120 packages were checked and no explosives found, she said. The police officers who began clearing the scene shortly before the blast were reacting to an unattended satchel, which looked like a gym bag or knapsack, according to a Justice Department official who requested anonymity. That bag contained the pipe bomb that exploded. Saturday’s 911 call came from a pay telephone about two blocks from the explosion, the Justice official said. The caller spoke “in a calm voice,” the official said. The call “was strictly a warning” accurately predicting the site of the blast, said a federal law-enforcement official who also asked not to be named. The caller did not give a name or identify any group or organization claiming responsibility for the bombing, the official said. At Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, spokeswoman April Majors said the airport is increasing its already high security because of the explosion. For example, she said, airport security will conduct “constant, random checks of trash receptacles.” She would not detail other measures. Officials hoped to re-open Centennial Olympic Park today after a thorough sweep, said Sid Miles, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety. Mark Smith, who was mixing the music for the concert in a tower near the explosion, said he was a few yards from a police officer injured when the bomb went off. “I saw the cop right in front of me take a huge piece of shrapnel,” Smith said. “He got hit bad. I saw 10 pockets of people hit by what appears to be shrapnel.” After the explosion, police swept the area with bomb-sniffing dogs and blocked off all surrounding streets. Dozens of ambulances, fire trucks and police cars lined up to care for the injured and keep out everyone else. At least 10 athletes from Cuba and Argentina stood a few feet away from the blast, said Sheryl Fillmore, a friend of a Cuban judo competitor. Most competitors have been living in the athletes’ village, about a mile from the bombing. “Our athletes in the village and elsewhere are planning to go forward in the competitions, yes,” the USOC’s Moran said. “Obviously, there’s been a heightened security activity, especially in the athletes in village. “The athletes in the village all were up and watching on television at one time or another. Word spread fairly quickly.” Eight officers with the State Olympic Law Enforcement Command were among those injured, said SOLEC spokeswoman Bill Wells. SOLEC is in charge of organizing 4,500 state law-enforcement officials who run security at some 23 state-owned venues. The eight were trying to move people away from the suspicious package. All were treated at hospitals and released. The explosion rocked buildings more than a quarter-mile away, shattered windows in the immediate vicinity and could be heard throughout the downtown area, where tens of thousands of people have gathered every night since the Olympic Games began July 19. Police cordoned off the area for several blocks around where the explosion occurred, forming lines by interlocking arms and driving back tourists and journalists. They said the security net was to protect bystanders from further explosions. Matt Ghaffari, an American silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, said these are now “the tainted games.” “I want to go to the hospital and take my medal and some pins to make people happy,” Ghaffari said. “I can’t tell you how sad I am. I’m ashamed as a person, as a human being. I would like to kick the guy’s butt who did this. “Now, when people say 1996, they’re not going to remember the medals we won. They’re going to remember this is the place where they had the terrorist attack.” The explosion immediately brought to mind the 1972 Olympics, when Palestinian terrorists stormed the Olympic Village in Munich, ultimately leading to the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes, five terrorists and a police officer. The blast follows the death of 230 people in the fiery crash of a TWA airliner off New York on July 17. The cause of the crash is not known but investigators strongly suspect a bomb or a missile attack. In April, federal agents conducted a raid of a primitive bomb factory in a rural area south of Atlanta, sending a chill through Olympic security forces. Police said at the time that the bomb factory, linked to local militia groups, was not connected with the Olympics.

Courtesy of MSNBC at http://msnbc.com

Staff writers Al Olson and John Peoples contributed to this report.

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