A man wanted in a series of bombings in the United States, including the 1996 bombing during the Olympics in Atlanta, was captured early Saturday in the state of North Carolina.
Eric Robert Rudolph, a 36-year-old who eluded authorities for five years, was captured in the small town of Murphy, North Carolina.
"An alert Murphy police officer noticed something unusual going on behind the Valley Village shopping center, here in Murphy. He investigated; he called for backup, and ultimately, arrested Eric Robert Rudolph at about 4:30 a.m. this morning," explained Chris Swecker, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's special agent in charge in North Carolina.
In addition to the 1996 Olympic bombing, Mr. Rudolph is also charged with the 1997 bombings of an Atlanta women's clinic that performs abortions and a gay nightclub, as well as the 1998 bombing of a clinic in Birmingham, Alabama that performs abortions. The attacks killed two people and left dozens wounded.
Following the news of his arrest, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft released a statement calling Mr. Rudolph "the most notorious American fugitive on the FBI's 'Most Wanted' list." (Signed)
