27th March 1986 was just a regular day in the heart of Melbourne. But just after 1 p.m. that normality was shattered when a car bomb exploded outside the city’s police headquarters. Crimes that Shook Australia s2e3: The Russell Street Bombings, CI 2016
The Russell Street taskforce were made aware of a bank robbery that took place just hours after the bombing. ibid.
Police raided three addresses connected to Reed and his brother. ibid.
‘The Robbery Squad members who went to Peter Reed’s address were met with gunfire.’ ibid. rozzer
12:59 p.m. Thursday 27th March 1986, Melbourne, Victoria: The Russell Street bombing rocked the foundations of a city, its reisdents, and police force to the very core. But a 100 strong team of detectives, bomb and forensic experts were determined from day one that the culprits would not get away with it. Forensic Investigators s2e9: Russell Street, Seven Network 2005
After 40 minutes the fires were extinguished, the city sealed off, and 21 people including the severely injured Constables Taylor and Donadio were in hospital. ibid.
‘Good evening. Terrorism hit Melbourne today. Bomb after bomb exploded outside the city’s police headquarters injuring dozens and causing extensive damage.’ ibid. TV news
The clue as to who was responsible lay in the debris that had scattered over several city blocks. ibid.
‘The number plate was still in the vicinity of the vehicle and that enabled us to very quickly identify who the owner of the vehicle was.’ ibid. rozzer
‘[Claudio] Crupi was seen wrapping up what was believed to be gelignite.’ ibid.
‘He [witness] was shown a series of photographs and identified Peter Reed.’
‘We got the forensic people out to Reed’s address.’ ibid.
Stan the Man: The task force identified Stanley Brian Tayler. ibid.
12:00 a.m. Sunday 23rd November 1986, Melbourne, Victoria: Terrorism had arrived in Melbourne. Forensic Investigators s3e2: Turkish Consulate Bombing, Seven Network 2006
‘The blast occurred behind the shop … Everthing pointed to a bombing.’ ibid. rozzer
‘Human remains had been found in the wreckage.’ ibid. news
The car that carried the suspected bomb had caused damage to a number of shops and businesses. ibid.
A suspected terrorist attack … [on] the Turkish Consulate. ibid.
‘We believe that the remains of the person that we identified at the scene was in fact the person responsible for planting the bomb. ibid. rozzer
‘Levon Demirian was a resident of New South Wales.’ ibid.
‘He had some involvement with organisations tied up with the Armenian groups.’ ibid.
Beirut, 1985: Terrorists are targetting Americans in a deadly series of attacks. Hundreds are dead. And now the CIA’s top man in the Middle East has been taken hostage. William Casey, the head of the CIA, decides to throw out the rule book and strike back. In a top-secret mission still denied by the American government, Casey allegedly sanctions the assassination of the men he believes is responible for the attacks on Americans. CIA Declassified s1e5: Beirut Bomb
1983, Beirut, Lebanon: The capital of this tiny Middle Eastern country is being devastated by years of conflict. Now American troops are arriving in the city. Their mission not to invade but to bring peace. Also in the city is a substantial CIA presence. Operating out of the US embassy, the agents are there to counter a growing problem in Beirut – terrorism. ibid.
As the classified CIA meeting is gathering, a white van is winding through the Beirut streets to the embassy. ibid.
The entire central section of the embassy collapses in the explosion, bringing down seven storeys of masonry and rubble. ibid.
200 people are wounded in the attack; 63 are killed; 17 of them American. ibid.
The van approaches the perimeter of the barracks. As a peacekeeping force, the marines’ weapons are not loaded. The face of the driver is visible to the guards as he aims the truck at the barracks. He is smiling. The truck rams into the base of the barracks and is primed to explode. It is the largest non-nuclear explosion since the Second World War. The entire building is levelled. ibid.
A Hezbollah car bomb targets the US embassy annex building: 24 are killed and 90 are injured. ibid.
The Iranians are running a car bomb school for Hezbollah terrorists. ibid.
‘It was totally an off-the-books operation.’ ibid. Bob Woodward
The blast kills 83 people, 283 lie wounded. The victims are mainly schoolgirls, woman and children. ibid.
It is Al-Qaeda’s first strike at America. Hundreds are killed by suicide bombs at two US embassies in Africa. CIA Declassified s1e6: Operation Celestial Balance
The terrorists are operating from a country [Kenya] that’s a no-go zone for the US. The top-secret mission: to infiltrate the most dangerous country in the world, deliver Operation Celestial Balance, and work with SEAL Team 6 to ensure that justice is done. ibid.
Nairobi, Kenya, 7th August 1998: Just after 10.30 a.m. a truck drives up to the US embassy, and instead of slowing at the barrier it accelerates. The final death toll is 12 Americans and 200 Kenyans. With over 4,000 injured. lmost simultaneously another suicide bomb explodes outside the US embassy in Dar es Salaam, the capital of the neighbouring country of Tanzania. ibid.
The CIA Nairobi station immediately get to work. ibid.
Kenya’s chaotic neighbour Somalia is the perfect safe haven for terrorists on the run. For years it’s been a no-go area for Americans thanks to the notorious Battle of Mogadishu five years earlier – the shooting down of a Blackhawk helicopter, and the drawn out rescue attempt that followed. ibid.
‘18 US Army Rangers were killed. Hundreds of Somalis died in that the US pulled out, and Somalia was left to its own devices for a number of years.’ ibid. comment
Suddenly a car explodes outside the hotel: 16 people are killed including 10 Kenyans and 3 Israelis; many more are injured. ibid.
Simultaneous coordinated attacks – the Al Qaeda signature. ibid.
The plot [plane into embassy] is foiled but it shows the CIA that al-Qaeda is maturing into a determined and well-resourced operation, and its protection in Magadishu is making it stronger every day. ibid.
The Warlords are now faking information and arresting innocent people just to keep the money rolling in. ibid.
It’s making the Americans even more unpopular on the streets of Magdishu. ibid.
Gang warfare erupts on the streets. ibid.
‘The Ethiopian Armed Forces invaded Somalia.’ ibid. comment
Operation Celestial Balance: The US Fifth Fleet is directed to wait off the Somali coast, silent miniaturized surveillance drones are launched to watch the roads running south out of Magadishu … Seal Team Six stationed on a nearby Destroyer now get their orders. The plan is simple: make an airborne assault … With a fix on [Saleh Ali Saleh] Nabhan, Seal Team Six moves and engages the Al Qaeda bomber, killing him. ibid.
The bombing of the USS Cole. It is one of the first of a series of deadly strikes by Al Qaeda on US targets. The organisation responsible is quickly identified. CIA Declassified s1e8: Killing the Bombers
How the CIA used cutting-edge technology in one of the most inhospitable regions in the world to hunt down the terrorist mastermind behind the attack on the USS Cole and deliver lethal justice. ibid.
A suicide bomb has ripped a 40-foot hole in the hull of the Cole nearly sinking the ship. Eventually the death toll rises to 17 with 39 injured … Prime suspect: Al Qaeda. ibid.
The name of the organiser, the leader of the cell … is Abd al-Nashiri. ibid.
Nashiri has set in motion another attack. This time his target is the investigators themselves. ibid.
Yemen becomes a front line in the War on Terror. ibid.
The CIA’s classified mission is to help Yemen’s Special Forces find and take out as many Al Qaeda operatives as possible. ibid.