| FBI FUGITIVE PUBLICITY | TEN MOST WANTED FUGITIVE |
![]() Eric Robert Rudolph | |
| Born: | September 19, 1966 Merritt Island, Florida |
|---|---|
| Crime: | Terrorist bombing |
| Date Added: | May 5, 1998 |
| Date Caught: | May 31, 2003[1] |
| Number on List: | #454 |
| Captured | |
Eric Robert Rudolph (born September 19, 1966), also known as the Olympic Park Bomber, is an American Christian terrorist[2][3] who committed a series of bombings across the southern United States which killed three people and injured at least 150 others. Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Merritt Island is a Census designated place in Brevard County, Florida, United States. Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion A bomb is any of a range of devices that typically rely on the Exothermic Chemical reaction of an Explosive material to produce an extremely Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Christian terrorism is Religious terrorism by those whose motivations are rooted in their interpretations of Christianity A bomb is any of a range of devices that typically rely on the Exothermic Chemical reaction of an Explosive material to produce an extremely The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive He declared that his bombings were part of a guerrilla campaign against abortion and what he describes as "the homosexual agenda. Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc An " Homosexual agenda " (or " gay agenda " is a term used by social conservatives primarily in the United States, referring to " He spent years as the FBI's most wanted criminal fugitive, but was eventually caught. A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from Custody, whether it be from private Slavery, a government Arrest, government or non-government questioning In 2005 Rudolph pleaded guilty to numerous federal and state homicide charges and accepted five consecutive life sentences in exchange for avoiding a trial and the death penalty. For the Pygmy backswimmer Genus, see Plea (insect. List of countries by homicide rate Homicide ( Latin homicidium, homo human being + caedere to cut kill refers to the act of killing another Life imprisonment or life incarceration is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime often for most Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. Rudolph was connected with the Christian Identity movement;[3] today, he self-identifies as a Catholic. For the general identity of an individual with certain core essential religious doctrines see Christianity. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". [4]
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Rudolph was born in Merritt Island, Florida. Merritt Island is a Census designated place in Brevard County, Florida, United States. After his father, Robert, died in 1981, he moved with his mother and siblings to Nantahala, Macon County, in Western North Carolina. Macon County is a County located in the North Carolina. As of 2000 the population was 29811 North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States He attended ninth grade at the Nantahala School but dropped out after that year and worked as a carpenter with his older brother Daniel. A carpenter (builder is a skilled craftsman who performs carpentry - a wide range of Woodworking that includes constructing buildings, His mother believed in survivalism and instilled this ideology in him. Survivalism is a commonly used term for the Preparedness strategy and subculture of individuals or groups anticipating and making preparations for future possible disruptions
After Rudolph received his GED, he attended Western Carolina University in Cullowhee for two semesters[3] in 1985 and 1986. General Educational Development (or GED) tests are a group of five tests which (when passed certifies that the taker has American or Canadian High Western Carolina University (WCU is a Coeducational Public university located in Cullowhee North Carolina. Cullowhee is a Census-designated place (CDP in Jackson County, North Carolina, United States. In August 1987, Rudolph enlisted in the U.S. Army, undergoing basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. Recruit training is the initial Indoctrination and instruction given to new military personnel Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southwest He was discharged in January 1989 while serving with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, reportedly for smoking marijuana. A military discharge is given when a member of the Armed forces is released from his or her obligation to serve Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee, and is home The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. [5] In 1988, the year before his discharge, Rudolph had attended the Air Assault School at Fort Campbell. He attained the rank of Specialist/E-4.
Of the bombings Rudolph committed, the most notorious was the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta on July 27, 1996, during the 1996 Summer Olympics. The Centennial Olympic Park bombing was a terrorist Bombing on July 27, 1996 in Atlanta Georgia during the 1996 Summer Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, were an International The blast killed spectator Alice Hawthorne and wounded 111 others. Melih Uzunyol, a Turkish cameraman who ran to the scene following the blast, died of a heart attack. Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply Rudolph's motive for the bombings, according to his April 13, 2005 statement, was political:
In the summer of 1996, the world converged upon Atlanta for the Olympic Games. Events 1111 - Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 1204 - The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Under the protection and auspices of the regime in Washington millions of people came to celebrate the ideals of global socialism. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Multinational corporations spent billions of dollars, and Washington organized an army of security to protect these best of all games. Multinational corporation ( MNC) or transnational corporation ( TNC) is a Corporation or enterprise that manages Production or delivers Even though the conception and purpose of the so-called Olympic movement is to promote the values of global socialism, as perfectly expressed in the song "Imagine" by John Lennon, which was the theme of the 1996 Games even though the purpose of the Olympics is to promote these despicable ideals, the purpose of the attack on July 27 was to confound, anger and embarrass the Washington government in the eyes of the world for its abominable sanctioning of abortion on demand. " Imagine " is a song by John Lennon, which appears on his 1971 album Imagine. John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born An
The plan was to force the cancellation of the Games, or at least create a state of insecurity to empty the streets around the venues and thereby eat into the vast amounts of money invested.
If this was indeed the plan, it was unsuccessful. Olympic organizers did not even cancel the day's events.
Rudolph's statement did authoritatively clear Richard Jewell, a Centennial Olympic Park security guard, of any involvement in the bombings. Richard A Jewell ( December 17 1962 &ndash August 29 2007) was a central figure of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the Jewell had been falsely accused of participation in the bombing a few days after the incident, after having been initially hailed as a hero for being the first one to spot Rudolph's explosive device, for saving lives, and for helping to clear the area. When he came (erroneously) under FBI suspicion for involvement in the crime, Jewell became the prime suspect, and an international news story. Rudolph's confession vindicated Jewell.
Rudolph has also confessed to the bombings of an abortion clinic in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs on January 16, 1997, a gay and lesbian nightclub, the Otherside Lounge, in Atlanta on February 21, 1997, injuring five, and an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama on January 29, 1998, killing officer Robert Sanderson and critically injuring nurse Emily Lyons. Sandy Springs is a newly incorporated city incorporated in December 2005 Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar In the English language, gay is an Adjective that in modern usage refers to Homosexuality. A lesbian is a Woman who is romantically or sexually attracted only to other women gay bar (also known as a boy bar if the clientele is predominantly male or conversely a girl bar) is a drinking establishment that caters exclusively Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Birmingham (ˈbɝmɪŋhæm is the largest City in the US state of Alabama and is the County seat of Jefferson County. Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Rudolph's bombs were made of dynamite surrounded by nails which acted as shrapnel. Dynamite is an explosive based on the explosive potential of Nitroglycerin, initially using Diatomaceous earth (kieselgur US Spelling kieselguhr Shrapnel is the term originally applied to an anti-personnel artillery shell which carried a large number of individual bullets to the target and then ejected them forwards relying
He is said to have targeted the health clinic and office building because abortions were performed there, and targeted the Otherside Lounge because it was a predominantly lesbian nightclub.
Rudolph was first identified as a suspect in the Alabama bombing by the Department of Justice on February 14, 1998. For animal rights group see Justice Department (JD The United States Department of Justice ( DOJ) is a Cabinet department Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) He was named as a suspect in the three Atlanta incidents on October 14, 1998. Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar)
On May 5, 1998, he became the 454th Fugitive listed by the FBI on the Ten Most Wanted list. Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) The FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives during the 1990s is a list maintained for a fifth decade of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives of the United States 's Federal The FBI considered him to be armed and extremely dangerous, and offered a $1,000,000 reward for information leading directly to his arrest. He spent more than five years in the Appalachian wilderness as a fugitive, during which federal and amateur search teams scoured the area without success. The Appalachian Mountains ( often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America.
It is thought that Rudolph had the assistance of sympathizers while evading capture. Some in the area were vocal in support of him. Two country music songs were written about him and a locally top-selling T-shirt read: "Run Rudolph Run. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. " Many Christian Identity adherents are outspoken in their support of Rudolph; the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights group, notes that "extremist chatter on the Internet has praised Rudolph as 'a hero' and some followers of hate groups are calling for further acts of violence to be modeled after the bombings he is accused of committing. The Anti-Defamation League ( ADL) is an Interest group founded in 1913 by B'nai B'rith in the United States whose stated aim is "to stop A hate group is an organized group or movement that advocates Hate, Hostility, or Violence towards members of a race ethnicity religion gender sexual "[6]
The Rudolph family supported Eric and believed he was innocent of all charges,[7] but found themselves under intense questioning and surveillance. [8] On March 7, 1998, Daniel Rudolph, Eric's older brother, videotaped himself cutting off one of his own hands with a radial arm saw in order to, in his words, "send a message to the FBI and the media. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) A radial arm saw is a cutting machine consisting of a Circular saw mounted on a sliding horizontal arm "[9] The hand was successfully reattached.
According to Rudolph's own writings, he survived during his years as a fugitive by camping in the woods, gathering acorns and salamanders, pilfering vegetable gardens, stealing grain from a grain silo, and raiding dumpsters in a nearby town. The acorn is the nut of the Oak tree (genera Quercus, Lithocarpus and Cyclobalanopsis, in the Salamander (orig from Persian: sām, "fire" and andarūn, "within" is the common name for a group of approximately 500 Species [10][11]
Rudolph was arrested in Murphy, North Carolina, on May 31, 2003,[12] by police officer Jeffrey Scott Postell of the Murphy Police Department as Rudolph scavenged for food in a garbage can behind a Save-A-Lot store at about 4 a. Murphy is a town in Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Save-A-Lot is a Grocery store chain that is the thirteenth-largest Retail chain and sixth-largest chain under a single banner with more than one thousand stores in m. ; Postell, on routine patrol, had just joined the department on his 21st birthday less than a year before Rudolph's capture and originally suspected a burglary in progress. [13]
Rudolph was unarmed and did not resist arrest. When arrested, he was clean-shaven, with a trimmed mustache, and wearing new sneakers, potentially indicating that he was harbored by supporters while on the run. Federal authorities charged him on October 14, 2003. Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Despite his reputed antisemitism, Rudolph was defended by Jewish attorney Richard S. Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism; also rarely known as judeophobia) is the Prejudice against or hostility PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Jaffe, who said he knew of Rudolph's beliefs but stated that Rudolph took no issue with his Jewish faith.
On April 8, 2005, the Department of Justice announced that Rudolph agreed to plead guilty in all the attacks he was accused of executing, thus avoiding the death penalty. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For the Pygmy backswimmer Genus, see Plea (insect. Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. The deal was confirmed after the FBI found 250 pounds (113 kg) of dynamite he hid in the forests of North Carolina. Dynamite is an explosive based on the explosive potential of Nitroglycerin, initially using Diatomaceous earth (kieselgur US Spelling kieselguhr North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States His revelation of the dynamite was a condition of his plea agreement. A plea bargain (also plea agreement, plea deal or copping a plea) is an agreement in a Criminal case whereby the Prosecutor offers He made his pleas in person in Birmingham and Atlanta courts on April 13. He also released a statement in which he explained his actions and rationalized them as serving the cause of anti-abortion and anti-gay activism. The abortion debate refers to discussion and controversy surrounding the moral and legal status of Abortion.
In his statement, he claimed that he had "deprived the government of its goal of sentencing me to death," and that "the fact that I have entered an agreement with the government is purely a tactical choice on my part and in no way legitimates the moral authority of the government to judge this matter or impute my guilt. "[14]
The terms of the plea agreement were that Rudolph would be sentenced to four consecutive life terms. He was officially sentenced July 18, 2005, to two consecutive life terms without parole for the 1998 murder of a police officer. Events 390 BC - Roman - Gaulish Wars Battle of the Allia - a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Life imprisonment or life incarceration is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime often for most Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system [15] He was sentenced for his various bombings in Atlanta on August 22, 2005, receiving three consecutive life terms. Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. That same day, Rudolph was sent to the ADX Florence supermax federal prison. The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX in Florence CO Supermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" Prisons or units within prisons which represent the most secure levels of Rudolph is inmate # 18282-058 within the US federal prison system. Like other supermax inmates, he spends 22½ hours per day in his 80 ft² (7. 4 m²) concrete cell. [16]
After Rudolph's arrest for the bombings, the Washington Post reported that the FBI considered Rudolph to have "had a long association with the radical Christian Identity movement, which asserts that North European whites are the direct descendants of the lost tribes of Israel, God's chosen people. The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated Newspaper in Washington D Northern Europe is a term for the northern part of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as (Finland The phrase Ten Lost Tribes of Israel refers to the ancient Tribes of Israel that disappeared from the Biblical account after the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed In Judaism chosenness is the belief that the Jews are the Chosen people: chosen to be in a Covenant with God. "[17] Christian Identity is a white supremacist sect that holds that those who are not white Christians will be condemned to Hell. White supremacy is a racist ideology based on the assertion that White people are superior to other racial groups. Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering In the same article, the Post reported that some FBI investigators believed Rudolph may have written letters that claimed responsibility for the nightclub and abortion clinic bombings on behalf of the Army of God, a terrorist group associated with Christian Identity. Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion
In a statement released after he entered a guilty plea, Rudolph denied being a supporter of the Christian Identity movement, claiming that his involvement amounted to a brief association with the daughter of a Christian Identity adherent, later identified as Pastor Daniel Gayman. When asked about his religion he said, "I was born a Catholic, and with forgiveness I hope to die one. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". "[4] In other written statements, Rudolph has cited Biblical passages and offered religious motives for his militant opposition to abortion. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin [18].
Some mainstream books and media outlets have portrayed Rudolph as a "Christian Identity extremist" or a "Christian terrorist. " Harper's Magazine referred to him as a "Christian terrorist. Harper's Magazine (also Harper's) is a monthly general-interest Magazine of literature politics culture finance and the arts " [19] The NPR radio program "On Point" referred to him as a "Christian Identity extremist. "[20] The Voice of America reported that Rudolph could be seen as part of an "attempt to try to use a Christian faith to try to forge a kind of racial and social purity. Voice of America ( VOA) is the official external radio and Television broadcasting service of the United States federal government. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings " [21] Writing in 2004, authors Michael Shermer and Dennis McFarland saw Rudolph's story as an example of "religious extremism in America," warning that the phenomenon he represented was "particularly potent when gathered together under the umbrella of militia groups,"[22] whom they believe to have protected Rudolph while he was a fugitive. Michael Brand Shermer (born September 8, 1954 in Glendale California) is an American science writer historian of science founder of The Skeptics
Rudolph himself has written "Many good people continue to send me money and books. Most of them have, of course, an agenda; mostly born-again Christians looking to save my soul. The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living I suppose the assumption is made that because I'm in here I must be a 'sinner' in need of salvation, and they would be glad to sell me a ticket to heaven, hawking this salvation like peanuts at a ballgame. In Theology, salvation can mean three related things being saved from or Liberation from something such as Suffering or the punishment of Heaven may refer to the physical heavens the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the Universe beyond The peanut, or Groundnut ( Arachis hypogaea) is a species in the Legume family Fabaceae native to South America, Mexico I do appreciate their charity, but I could really do without the condescension. They have been so nice I would hate to break it to them that I really prefer Nietzsche to the Bible. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15 1844 August 25 1900 ( was a nineteenth-century German philosopher and classical philologist "[23]
Although Federal Bureau of Prisons regulations give wardens the right to restrict or reject correspondence by an inmate for "the protection of the public, or if it might facilitate criminal activity," including material "which may lead to the use of physical violence," essays which condone violence and militant action written by Rudolph, who is incarcerated in the most secure part of ADX Florence in Colorado, are being published by an Army of God anti-abortion activist who posts Rudolph's essays on an Internet website. FBOP redirects here For the bank holding company see FBOP Corporation. The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX in Florence CO The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. Activism, in a general sense can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change [24]While victims maintain that Rudolph's messages are harassment and could incite violence, according to Alice H. Martin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama at the time of Rudolph's prosecution for the Alabama bombing, there is little the prison can do to restrict the publication of his letters. Harassment refers to a wide spectrum of offensive behaviour The term commonly refers to behaviour intended to disturb or upset and when the term is used in a legal sense it refers Alice Martin is the United States Attorney for the U S District Court Northern District of Alabama. The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties Bibb, "An inmate does not lose his freedom of speech," she said. Freedom of speech in the United States is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and by many state constitutions [25] However, the Department of Justice in 2006 criticized the same prison for not properly screening the mail of three inmates convicted in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing after determining the men sent letters from the prison to suspected terrorists overseas. For animal rights group see Justice Department (JD The United States Department of Justice ( DOJ) is a Cabinet department The 1993 World Trade Center bombing occurred on February 26, 1993, when a Car bomb was detonated below Tower One of the World Trade Center