Were BATF informants
connected to the 
Centennial Park bombing
during the Olympics?
 
 

Operation Piedmont

The arrests and convictions of the Georgia militia activists may be linked to Starr's investigations of government misconduct, according to Jeff Randall of the Gadsden Minutemen, an Alabama militia group. "Bob called me a few weeks back and wanted to talk with Mike Kemp and myself about some officials he was investigating," Randall stated. "We had arranged to meet, but the Feds decided to trump up bogus charges and arrest him first... Whatever Bob was investigating undoubtedly made them very nervous."

An investigation led by Randall has raised allegations that two BATF confidential informants, known by their aliases as Kevin and Danny Barker, were attempting to stage a terrorist attack at the Olympics using a pipe bomb "and blame the Georgia Militia." Randall stated in a May 11, 1996 CopWatch news release -- more than two months before the Centennial Park bombing -- that "this clandestine activity is called 'Operation Piedmont.'" To date, no arrests have been made in the Centennial Park case, despite the presence of numerous video cameras and scores of eyewitnesses. 

Two nights before his arrest, Starr called the shortwave radio show Arming You With Knowledge, stating that he was preparing to expose a government set-up against him, after being informed by an FBI agent that the Bureau had received an anonymous telephone death threat against him. Gillis denied that there was a connection between Starr's decision to go public with his investigation and his arrest. 

"Mr. Starr was arrested not because he intended to build those bombs, but because he intended not to," Lord said. "He intended to expose the government's confidential informants."

Following the Starr/McCranie arrests, on May 30, federal agents arrested Troy Spain, commanding officer of a Georgia Republic Militia special operations team. Spain faced trial with Starr and McCranie on October 15.

Then, on July 26, U.S. District Court Judge Duross Fitzpatrick issued a gag order on both prosecution and defense attorneys "in order to insure an impartial jury." At the time, the suspicious nature of the case had begun attracting media attention, including articles in the Macon Telegraph and Atlanta Constitution that were critical of the prosecution. The gag order impaired the Starr/McCranie/Spain defense team's ability to tell the public what was going on in the court room.

In response, Lord filed a "Motion for Information Needed for Defense," demanding 911 tapes, surveillance and eyewitness photos and videotapes, and composite sketches relating to the Centennial Park bombing. She cited the following reasons for the motion:

"The accused [Starr] is aware of two individuals in the Georgia area who are known to enjoy talking about bombs (especially pipe bombs), making bombs, encouraging others to make bombs and plant bomb-making components onto other people's property. These individuals (Possible Suspects PS #62 and PS #63), unlike the accused and his co-accuseds who are incarcerated, were at large on July 27, 1996, and remain so today.

"The affinity for bombs of one of the suspects is documented by government exhibits recently provided to the accused, specifically Tape #7.

"The suspects, PS #62 and PS #63 are not trained, badge wearing agents, but are free-lancers involved in a BATF 'dirty tricks' campaign. They have yet to be named by the government as witnesses, and the government has refused to disclose their names. The defense is only aware of aliases used by these individuals in this investigation.

"The accused has offered publicly to assist the F.B.I. in its investigation, along with members of his defense team, and these offers have not been accepted."