Olympic Bomb Targeted Law Enforcement, Fbi Says

Law enforcement officers were the target of the Olympic bombing a year ago, the FBI said Friday for the first time.

The 911 call made shortly before the bomb went off was intended to bring officers to the scene, said Jack Daulton, the agent in charge of the investigation. The bomber knew that officers would rush to the Olympic park to move people to safety, he said.

Daulton did not say exactly what makes him think law officers were targeted. But the 911 caller had warned, “There is a bomb in Centennial Park. You have 30 minutes.” And the bomb went off in just 22 minutes.

“There’s nothing magic about Centennial Olympic Park. The Centennial Park bombing was directed at law enforcement,” Daulton said when asked whether agents fear a repeat attack on Sunday, the anniversary of the bombing. “The bomber seems to have his own ideas of what the targets are. He could strike at any time at any place.”

The bomb killed one woman - a tourist - and injured more than 100 other people, including several officers, when it exploded during an early-morning concert in the crowded park July 27 during the Olympic Games.

Investigators have said the attack is linked to bombings Jan. 16 at a suburban abortion clinic and Feb. 21 at a gay nightclub. In each of those cases, two bombs were set. And in each case, investigators said they believe the second bomb was aimed at law enforcement officers responding to the first.

Daulton’s statement Friday was the first time the FBI has said law officers also were a target of the park bombing, in which there was no second bomb.

He said the common target is one reason investigators suspect the same person or group bombed all three places. Daulton also said the bombs in all three cases had similarities, but he wouldn’t elaborate.