Excerpted from ENN Intelligence Report-02/22/97-Vol. 3, No. 053

BOMB EXPLODES AT ATLANTA NIGHTCLUB

By The ENN News Staff

ATLANTA (ENN) - At least four people were wounded when a bomb exploded at a crowded Atlanta gay/lesbian nightclub on Friday night. Police also found a second bomb outside the building. Friday's blast was the fourth bombing to occur in or near Atlanta in the past seven months.

A bartender at the nightclub described what she saw by saying, "Several customers thought a lady had been shot. She rolled her sleeve up and had a spike nail through her arm." The bomb was said to have been packed with nails. The witness said she saw a flash and head a loud explosion.

The blast happened at about 2200 EST in the rear patio area of the nightclub, located just north of downtown Atlanta.

A spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said that another package was found "near the side of the building." It was determined that this package contained another bomb, which was disarmed by bomb experts. It is believed that both devices are of a "low order" pipe-bomb type and may have been configured with nails and screws to increase the anti-personnel effect.

Friday's bombing appears similar in many ways to the abortion clinic explosions, where one bomb went off and a second bomb exploded as rescue teams rushed to the scene -- a common terrorist tactic. At least one bomb technician
speculated that last night's circumstances were what is becoming a familiar "MO" (Method of Operation), to police explosive squad members.

The investigation of this incident is now in the hands of the FBI and the ATF. Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell has assured citizens that a sufficient number of agents will be committed to this latest investigation, even as two other task forces work on the Centennial Park Explosion and at a suburban family planning clinic.

Medical officials said that one man and two women were treated and released. Another woman remains hospitalized. Two victims suffered shrapnel wounds and two others complained of ear pain and headaches.

An Atlanta paramedic said a 28-year-old woman had a nail puncture her right arm and had lost "a significant amount of blood."

Click here for an ENN-related story on 01/16/97 Atlanta bombing

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The ENN DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT is a subscription publication of the EmergencyNet NEWS Service, which is a part of the Chicago-based Emergency Response and Research Institute. This publication specializes in Security/Terrorism/Intelligence/ Military and National Security issues.

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