Podcast Summary:

Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer
Special Feature: Law & Order: Criminal Justice System (Season 2, Episode 1)
Released: August 21, 2025
Host: Anna Siga Nicolazzi
Produced by: Wolf Entertainment, USG Audio, Dig Studios, CBC

Episode Overview

This episode introduces the new season of Law & Order: Criminal Justice System, focusing on the evolution of domestic terrorism in the United States. It examines how acts of terror, from symbolic activism to indiscriminate mass violence, have shaped law enforcement responses and public consciousness. Through expert analysis, eyewitness testimony, and survivor accounts, the program investigates pivotal attacks from the 1970s—including the Fraunces Tavern bombing—highlighting the tragic human toll and the profound societal impact of terrorism on American life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening: Modern Acts of Terror on American Soil ([00:48]–[04:29])

• Bourbon Street Attack (January 1, 2025, New Orleans):
  • A white truck plows into crowds, followed by gunfire.
  • Survivor Jeremy Sensky, a visitor injured in the attack, provides a visceral first-person account:
    • “There was a very loud noise, very weird windy noise... I was going through the air and smashed my face off the sidewalk.” ([01:47])
    • “Someone came up to the truck. Someone screamed at them not to open up the door because there might be explosives in the door.” ([03:08])
    • “I lifted up my arm and my whole body had blood all over it...” ([03:14])
  • The attack marked deliberate, calculated terror, coinciding with major public celebration for maximum psychological impact.
  • Statement from a responding officer to Sensky:
    • “He just looked at me and said, you’re lucky to be alive. Everyone around you is dead.” ([04:10])
  • Contextualizes the increased frequency and scale of recent terrorist attacks in U.S. cities; notes similar recent attacks in Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Boulder.
  • Sets the stage for the historical investigation: “Before we get to the motives and manhunts, we need to better understand what’s led us to where we are today.” ([05:08])

2. Historical Context: Origins and Evolution of Domestic Terror ([07:58]–[13:24])

• Expert Insight — Michael Jensen, START Center, University of Maryland:

  • “People often forget that in the late 1960s through about the mid-1970s that terrorism in the United States was really synonymous with left wing activism.” ([09:00])
  • Early domestic terrorism was largely symbolic—targeting property and institutions to make political statements without mass casualties.
  • Notable groups: Weather Underground, Symbionese Liberation Army, and others focused on anti-war, civil rights, and Marxist agendas.
  • “In 1970 alone, there was well over a thousand bombings... Most of them did not produce fatalities or injuries. They were property crimes.” ([10:22])

• Expert Insight — John Fox, FBI Historian:

  • “In the 1970s, we saw the FBI primarily focusing on what would be considered terrorist attacks here at home.” ([10:50])
  • Describes confusion over definitions and the challenges law enforcement faced with the multiplicity of emerging groups and ideologies.

3. The FALN & Fraunces Tavern Bombing ([11:32]–[35:53])

• Background on FALN (Armed Forces of National Liberation):

  • Puerto Rican nationalist group with radical separatist ideology; part of a broader anti-colonial movement.
  • “The FALN was a group advocating revolution to separate Puerto Rico from the United States.” — John Fox ([11:32])

• Escalation to Lethal Terrorism:

  • “The FALN actually went out of their way to commit [an] attack in which they knew people would be hurt and killed.” — Michael Jensen ([27:53])
  • Bombing at Fraunces Tavern in Manhattan on January 24, 1975: deliberate timing and location selected for maximum civilian casualties and symbolic resonance (site of George Washington’s historical farewell).
  • Details from survivors and experts:
    • “I just remember seeing an awful lot of glass within view. There was mayhem there.” — FBI Agent Richard Bantell ([15:18])
    • Discovery of shrapnel and human remains; “We found out what it was... human remains.” ([17:46])

• Personal Tragedy — The Connor Family:

  • Joe Connor, son of victim Frank Connor, shares the devastating impact:
    • “To go one minute from celebrating your 9th birthday with your dad to him being dead for no reason.” ([25:22])
    • “That was something I’ll never forget and I’ll always treasure because he didn’t have to get that for me.” (on his dad and a childhood baseball mitt, [21:29])
  • Recounts his father’s life, his family’s grief, and their search for justice.
  • FALN’s communique claimed responsibility, citing retaliation for violence in Puerto Rico.

• Law Enforcement Response:

  • “These guys were extremely disciplined. They left one fingerprint in their 130 bombings.” — Joe Connor ([31:06])
  • FALN trained by Cuban intelligence, complicating efforts; William Morales, chief bomb-maker, escapes after a failed bomb-making attempt and is given refuge in Cuba ([33:07]–[33:27]).
  • Joe Connor’s ongoing advocacy against Morales and the unresolved pain for families:
    • “No one was held accountable specifically for my dad’s murder.” ([34:51])

4. Systemic Challenges & Lessons ([35:53]–[38:08])

• Fragmented Response:

  • “It was a patchwork response to a national problem... Federal agents, bomb squads, arson units, all working parallel cases rather than lock and step.” ([36:40])
  • Lack of integrated systems and real-time intelligence sharing, forcing agencies to adapt as attacks proliferated.

• Impact and Legacy:

  • The Fraunces Tavern bombing signaled a shift from symbolic violence to indiscriminate mass attacks, changing how law enforcement and society understood—and responded to—terrorism.
  • “That’s why terrorism works as a political tool. Because it’s random and it’s indiscriminate. It doesn’t care who you are. Anyone can die at any point.” — Joe Connor ([28:56])

5. Closing & Next Episode Tease ([37:14]–[39:19])

• The episode ends by previewing the next case: the deadly LaGuardia Airport bombing.
• “This really was the era of mass bombing campaigns, and the FBI had a very, very long list of usual suspects to go through...” — Michael Jensen ([37:59])
• Ambiguity around perpetrators (FALN, Croatian nationalists, others) highlights the chaotic threat environment of the era.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jeremy Sensky (Survivor, New Orleans attack):
  • "I was going through the air and smashed my face off the sidewalk. And the only thing I saw was the truck, the white truck." ([01:47])
• Michael Jensen (START):
  • "People often forget that in the late 1960s... terrorism in the United States was really synonymous with left wing activism." ([09:00])
• John Fox (FBI historian):
  • "The FALN was a group advocating revolution to separate Puerto Rico from the United States." ([11:32])
• Joe Connor (Victim's Son):
  • "To go one minute from celebrating your 9th birthday with your dad to him being dead for no reason." ([25:22])
  • "That’s why terrorism works as a political tool. Because it’s random and it’s indiscriminate." ([28:56])
• FBI Agent Richard Bantell:
  • "If you go to these things, I don’t care where it is, it’s got a smell to it. You Gotta get on your hands and knees and crawl around in the dirt and the dust and see what you can find." ([16:08])
  • “We found out what it was... human remains.” ([17:46])

Important Timestamps

• 00:48: Introduction to the show and season theme.
• 01:47: Jeremy Sensky recounts the New Orleans terror attack.
• 07:58: Michael Jensen introduces the historical landscape of U.S. terrorism.
• 10:22: Explosion in 1970s terror activism: over a thousand bombings.
• 14:27: FBI Agent Richard Bantell describes the scene of the Fraunces Tavern bombing.
• 17:46: Discovery of human remains at bombing site.
• 18:20–25:46: The Connor family story: victim's biography and emotional aftermath.
• 27:53: The shift in FALN tactics to intentionally cause mass casualties.
• 31:06: Discipline and sophistication of FALN bombings.
• 33:07: William Morales, chief bombmaker, injured and escapes.
• 34:51: Ongoing lack of accountability for victims' families.
• 36:40: Systemic failures in law enforcement response.
• 37:14: Teaser for the next episode on the LaGuardia Airport bombing.

Tone and Style

• The episode maintains a grave, reflective, and analytical tone, balancing factual narration, expert interviews, and poignant survivor stories.
• Narrative shifts deftly between intimate, emotional testimony and broader historical analysis, embodying both the personal and societal scales of terrorism’s impact.

This episode serves as a powerful entry point to the season’s exploration of domestic terrorism, emphasizing the lasting trauma left in its wake, the evolution of motives and methods, and the enduring challenge for American law enforcement and society to adapt and respond.