Grand Central Station Bombing

On September 10, 1976, terrorists calling themselves Fighters for Free Croatia diverted TWA Flight 355, bound for Chicago, to the Mirabel Airport in Montreal. The terrorists then instructed the pilot to radio a message directing the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to a bomb located in a Grand Central Station subway locker. Describing the bomb as a “gel” type, the terrorists threatened to detonate it if they detected any “false moves.” The group also threatened to detonate another bomb located “in a highly busy location” if their demands were not published by several newspapers, including [Page 151]the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Chicago Tribune. All published the demands.

The Federal Aviation Administration picked up the pilot's radio message and alerted the NYPD. The city's bomb squad roped off the area identified by the hijackers and had pried open 24 lockers surrounding locker no. 5713, where the bomb was located. Inside locker no. 5713, police found a sealed pressure cooker. After attempts to x-ray the bomb were unsuccessful, it was moved to the bomb squad range in Rodman's Neck, Bronx. There, four members of the bomb squad—Police Officer Brian J. Murray, Police Officer Henry Dworkin, Deputy Inspector Fritz Behr, and Sergeant Terence McTigue (none of whom were wearing protective gear)—placed the bomb in a dirt pit and attempted to detonate and/or deactivate it via remote control. After several attempts, the four men approached the bomb for inspection. It exploded, killing Murray instantly and showering shrapnel on the others, leaving McTigue with permanent injuries.

In the ensuing trial, Zvonko Busic, the leader of the group, took full responsibility for both the hijacking and setting the bomb at Grand Central Station, claiming that the others, including his wife, Julienne, were not aware of his specific plans. Busic testified that he purchased eight sticks of dynamite from a “Mafia”-type man that he met in a bar in Yorkville. He then fashioned the bomb, using instructions from The Anarchist's Cookbook, and placed it in the locker 48 hours before the hijacking.

The Grand Central Station bomb was used to convince authorities and the hijacked passengers that other devices brought onto the plane, some made from clay, other crafted from cast-iron pots, black tape, and timers, were true bombs. Busic testified that he cautioned the police about a switch on the bomb, which he had deliberately set in the off position, rendering it inactive. He later claimed that the explosion was attributable to faulty police equipment.

In May 1977, four of the five Croatian Nationalists on trial were found guilty of air piracy. Busic and his wife were also charged in the death of Police Officer Murray and received life sentences. Two others received 30-year sentences. The fifth man, who pleaded guilty before the trial, also received a 30-year term. All but Busic, who will be eligible for parole in 2006, have been released.