Deadly FALN bombing of NYC's iconic Fraunces Tavern happened 50 years ago Friday
NEW YORK - It has been 50 years since the deadly FALN terrorist bombing at the historic Fraunces Tavern in Manhattan.
It happened on Jan. 24, 1975 at Fraunces Tavern, located at 54 Pearl Street, during the busy lunch hour. Four people were killed and more than 50 were injured in the blast, including first responders. The building was severely damaged.
No one was ever charged.
The FALN, a terrorist group seeking Puerto Rican independence, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Suspected bombmaker William Morales escaped custody at Bellevue Hospital. He fled to Cuba.
Scars left behind by the bombing can still be seen on the exterior of the building. A plaque now honors the victims.
Families of the victims and NYPD officers who responded to the blast gathered there Friday to remember the occasion, and call for justice.
"Terrorists... murdered him"
"He went to lunch here in the middle of the day, and terrorists walked a bomb, put it behind where you're sitting, and murdered him," Joseph Connor said.
It was Connor's 9th birthday when his father Frank, 33, was killed in the blast.
"One minute, you're going to be celebrating your birthday that night. Then you find out your dad is dead. Devastating," Connor said. "All the things that he missed, like us going to school, sports, getting married, grandchildren. And all the things I missed, you know, like having a dad to talk to."
"The Fraunces Tavern attack was one of the most violent acts of domestic terrorism in our city's history," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. "For 50 years, no-one has been held accountable for this attack, which remains an open investigation for the NYPD."
"And one of those who were injured, the first person, was a rookie police officer just out of the academy, Angel Poggi, who responded to fake calls for help. And when he responded, the bomb blew up in his face, causing him to lose sight in his right eye," PBA President Patrick Hendry said.
Connor has continued his decades-long quest for justice. He wants stronger sanctions on Cuba, and those responsible for the bombing brought to justice in the U.S.
"We have William Morales is one of the terrorists who's in Cuba. There's a bill in front of the Senate called the Frank Connor Werner Forester Justice Act to return him to Cuba," Connor said.
In 2017, President Barack Obama granted clemency to Oscar Lopez Rivera, one of FALN's leaders, after he served 36 years in prison for sedition, armed robbery and conspiracy to transport explosives. Later that year, Lopez-Rivera marched in New York City's annual Puerto Rican Day Parade.
