New York, NY, April 13, 2005 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) welcomed the sentence of four consecutive life terms without parole meted out to Eric Robert Rudolph as a result of his plea agreement with the Justice Department.  Rudolph pleaded guilty today to a series of bombings from 1996 to 1998, including the bombing of the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta and the bombing of an abortion clinic in Alabama.

"Eric Rudolph's guilty plea closes a painful chapter, not only for the specific victims and their families, but for all Americans," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.  "Eric Rudolph proved once again that acts of violence can be perpetrated by a homegrown terrorist.  We applaud law enforcement for their efforts in bringing him to justice."

Rudolph was a follower of Christian Identity, an anti-Semitic and racist religious ideology popular in extreme right-wing circles.  Although he never joined the ranks of an extremist group, in the days following his arrest in May 2003 extremists praised Rudolph on the Internet as "a hero."  At that time, some extremists even called for further acts of violence to be modeled after the bombings Rudolph has now acknowledged committing.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.