Olympic moment: American takes on America

Being advertised as an Olympics of peace and unity is what prompted American terrorist Eric Robert Rudolph to place a bomb in Atlanta’s Centennial Park.

The tragic bombing of the public place, a popular hub for athletes and spectators, took place during an open-air concert, and claimed the lives of two people.

On July 27, 1996, three pipe bombs were discovered in a black sports bag. Richard Jewell, a security guard who was later considered a prime suspect, found and reported the bag. It exploded around 1:30 that morning, and one woman died as a nail was drilled into her head by the force of the explosion. Another person died of cardiac arrest at the site.

Jewell was found to be innocent of any wrongdoing, but was the subject of much scrutiny and negative attention from the media and general public. He was also interrogated several times by the FBI.

In the end, Rudolph turned out to be the culprit. He was a twisted individual who also bombed an abortion clinic and a lesbian bar. The idea, the confessed bomber would say years later, was to bring down the Games and embarrass the US government for legalising abortion.

The bomb exploded while the television cameras were rolling. But the Olympics went on. Rudolph is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole in one of America’s harshest prisons.