Infamous America - Introducing "Flashpoint" from Tenderfoot TV

Episode Date: August 2, 2024

On July 27th, 1996, a domestic terrorist bombed the Summer Olympic Games held in Atlanta, GA. While the FBI and the media fixated on the wrong man, the bomber planned his next, more overtly political attacks on two abortion clinics and a gay nightclub. The bomber would later be identified as a dedicated soldier in the white-supremacist Christian Identity Movement. Through the lens of these four bombings, and the victims left to pick up the pieces, Flashpoint explores America's greatest threat, the political and religious radicalization of homegrown terrorists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey, infamous listeners. I want to introduce you to a new podcast called Flashpoint from Tenderfoot TV and the team behind the hit true crime show Atlanta Monster. In Flashpoint, the team goes back to Atlanta to investigate one of the most infamous events of the 1990s. Some of you may remember where you were on July 27, 1996, when a domestic terrorist bombed the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. During the wall-to-wall news coverage that followed the explosion, the FBI and the media fixated on the wrong man. Meanwhile, the real bomber was planning his next targets, two abortion clinics and a gay nightclub. The bomber would later be identified as a dedicated soldier in the white supremacist Christian identity movement. Through the lenses of the bombings and the victims who were left to pick up the pieces,

Flashpoint explores a dangerous and deadly threat, the political and religious radicalization of homegrown terrorists. Here's a short preview of Flashpoint. The show is available now, and you can listen for free on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Back in 96, Atlanta was booming with excitement around hosting the Olympic Games.

For the first time, our city was stepping into Center Stage. What no one could have predicted is that it would be remembered for something else. Two people died that night, more than 100 injured. And the bombings? They were far from. over. The two bombs an hour apart that rocked an abortion clinic in Atlanta.

I sat down just for a second and noticed a bright flash and then a tremendous blast. Two more bombs, this time at an Atlanta nightclub catering to lesbians. I saw as soon as I turned the corner, basically someone bleeding out. There was really little doubt that we were dealing with the serial bomber. The FBI would lead a five-year manhunt in search of a fugitive willing to kill for a cause. But this story isn't his story. It's a human story, one that I've become entangled with. And it turns out, I'm not the only one.

It kind of gave me a feeling of pending doom. So many sleepless nights. I don't think I felt anything at the time. Or I didn't let myself think about it. It didn't feel real. The death threats that we subsequently received for years threatened the lives of our kids. These chaotic events tied our lives together

in ways no one expected. jeopardizing the ground beneath our feet, and forcing us to explore the gray areas between right and wrong, life and death. Our once ordinary lives changed forever. From Tinderfoot TV and IHeart Podcasts, I'm Colacassio, and this is Flashpoint. Why are you still alive?

Lord was looking after, it's all I can say. Available now on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.