Jeffrey D. Simon - The Alphabet Bomber: A Lone Wolf Terrorist Ahead of His Time

Jeffrey Simons nail-biting true drama about lone wolf Muharem Kurbegovic is not only a remarkable look into the disturbed mind of a single master of mayhem but also a broader, compelling examination of what makes lone wolves the most concerning terrorist phenomenon we confront today. A must-read for all interested in the terrorist challenge ahead.

Bennett Ramberg, nuclear terrorist expert and author of Nuclear Power Plants as Weapons for the Enemy

A must-read for Americans wanting an understanding of the lone terrorist and for law enforcement officials seeking to further their education and training in the complexities of identifying and hunting down lone wolf serial bombers and preventing the tragedies they bring about.... I only wish we would have had the benefit of Simons research and fact finding during the hunt for the Unabomber.

Terry D. Turchie, former deputy assistant director of the Counterterrorism Division of the FBI

Simons book is a riveting and fascinating account of how an intelligent man perpetrated multiple attacks of increasing severity, used media outlets to relay threats of many more deaths if his demands were not met, taunted law enforcement trying to capture him, and after apprehension duped forensic psychiatrists, mocked everybody, and unleashed an arsenal of antics in a futile effort to sell that he was too crazy to be tried, found guilty, or punished.

Dinko Bozanich, retired Los Angeles County deputy district attorney and prosecutor of the Alphabet Bomber

Jeffrey D. Simon

Potomac Books | An imprint of the University of Nebraska Press

2019 by Jeffrey D. Simon

Cover designed by University of Nebraska Press; cover image is from the interior, courtesy of the UCLA Library Special Collections.

Author photo by Kamran Behnam.

All rights reserved. Potomac Books is an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Simon, Jeffrey D. (Jeffrey David), 1949 author.

Title: The Alphabet Bomber: a lone wolf terrorist ahead of his time / Jeffrey D. Simon.

Description: Lincoln: Potomac Books, an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018025504

ISBN 9781612349961 (cloth: alk. paper)

ISBN 9781640121591 (epub)

ISBN 9781640121607 (mobi)

ISBN 9781640121614 (pdf)

Subjects: LCSH : Kurbegovic, Muharem. | Bombers (Terrorists)United StatesCase studies. | Bombing investigationUnited StatesCase studies. | TerrorismUnited StatesCase studies.

Classification: LCC HV 6248. K 795 S 56 2019 | DDC 363.325092 [B]dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018025504.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

It is a pleasure to acknowledge all the wonderful people who helped make this book possible. First and foremost, I am indebted to Dinko Bozanich, the prosecutor of the Alphabet Bomber. Dinko graciously gave of his time and shared his incredible knowledge of this case with me. His enthusiastic support for this book is greatly appreciated.

I was also fortunate to meet and interview Nancy Watson, the judge in the criminal trial, who passed away in 2004. Judge Watson was forthright in recalling her experiences dealing with the Alphabet Bomber during the long trial. Her children (Marcia Goodman, Harvey Goodman, and Brian Goodman) provided valuable insights into the life of their mother and the emotional toll the trial took on her.

Lea Purwin DAgostino, who assisted Dinko Bozanich in prosecuting the Alphabet Bomber, was very gracious in sharing with me her recollections of this fascinating case. For their insights and information regarding the Alphabet Bomber, I also want to thank former LAPD lieutenant Max Hurlbut, who helped identify Muharem Kurbegovic as the Alphabet Bomber; FBI special agent Frederick Lanceley (retired), who worked on the case; Walt Lewis, who served as the calendar deputy district attorney in Judge Watsons courtroom; Gerald Chaleff, who was Kurbegovics public defender during the competency trials; and Robert Altman, who was the prosecutor during the early phases of the Alphabet Bomber case.

My colleague Bennett Ramberg provided valuable feedback and encouragement during our many discussions about this story, as did Phil Rothenberg. I am grateful to both of them. I also want to thank Terry Turchie (along with Dinko Bozanich and Bennett Ramberg) for reading the entire manuscript. Lynn McClelland from the UCLA Law Library was instrumental in advising on how to cite the many different court transcripts and other legal documents used in this book, as was Dinko Bozanich.

The staff at the California State Archives in Sacramento, where I read through more than twenty thousand pages of court transcripts, was very helpful, as were the staffs at the LA Law Library and the Charles E. Young Research Library Microfilm Room at UCLA . I am also grateful to Diane Mizrachi and Mark Quigley from UCLA for responding to my research requests.

Anthony McGinty and Ethel Pattison helped locate photos of the Los Angeles International Airport bombing from the Flight Path Museum and Learning Center, while Simon Elliott was invaluable in helping to find relevant photos for this book from the Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA . Molly Haigh, also from the UCLA Special Collections, helped in scanning the images. Christina Rice assisted in producing photos from the Los Angeles Public Librarys Herald Examiner Photo Collection, while David Houston and Garrett Green provided photos from the Los Angeles Daily Journal. Kelly Dyson from the Library of Congress, Bill Van Niekerken from the San Francisco Chronicle Library, and Mary Hearn and Arlene Vasquez from the Public Information Office, Los Angeles Superior Court, were also instrumental in providing relevant photos and images.

I would also like to thank the following colleagues, friends, and others who helped in many different ways: Annie Abbott, Richard Antony, Jerome Applebaum, Koki Asakura, Martin Balaban, John Barry, Theresa Hart Barry, Steve Bernard, Chere Bozanich, Richard Chasdi, Sharon Chasdi, Eddie Chan, Ken Chin, Sandy Chin, Joe Cirillo, Gary Citrenbaum, Patrick Conway, Edwin Dagdagan, Rick Dedmon, George Galaza, Azi Gholizadeh, Kevin Grandalski, Rob Hitsous, Brian Jenkins, Steven Kafka, Eddie Kamiya, Janet Kamiya, Ken Karmiole, Scott Kernan, Ed Kobak, Ira Latto, Diane McMorris, Joe Medina, J. Reid Meloy, Sue Moran, John Mueller, James Peaco, Estella Perez, Dennis Pluchinsky, Gerald Posner, Allie Powell, Helen Purkitt, David Rapoport, Alice Richter, Albert Rivas, Mina Rome, Kenneth Ryan, Kathy Schreick-Latto, Debbie Scott-Asakura, Zareh Sevanesian, Cindy Forrestal Snell, Lorron Snell, Douglas Snyder, Shoshana Snyder, Don Steier, Gene Sunshine, Bill Teachworth, Kevin Terpstra, Diana Torres, Justin Vaughan, Donna Wald, Jessica Wolf, Carole Wood, and Ted Zwicker.

Catherine L. Hensley of CLH Editing provided superb editing skills for the manuscript and, as usual, was a joy to work with. I would also like to thank everybody at Potomac Books and the University of Nebraska Press, especially Thomas Swanson, editor, for their enthusiasm for a book about the Alphabet Bomber. This includes Elizabeth Zaleski, Jonathan Lawrence, Rosemary Sekora, Abigail Stryker, Natalie ONeal, Nathan Putens, Jackson Adams, Tish Fobben, Andrea Shahan, and Lindsey Auten.