Terry Griffith, one of the
policemen injured by the Hilton Hotel bombing, believes
ASIO (Australia's national secret service organisation)
and the NSW Special Branch did the bombing. The
information he has gathered suggests strongly that they
arranged for the bomb to be planted and then to find it
in front of the Australian and world media. This tactic
would have halted strong public demands to close down
Special Branch and reduce ASIO's security powers.
However, due to an apparent timing mishap, the garbage
men arrived to empty the bin before the bomb squad, and
it exploded in the garbage truck. The Security Forces
then pinned the crime on Ananda Marga to cover their
mistake.
At the Hilton bombing inquest
Griffith alleged that the private secretary of an unnamed
Australian senator told him that he had spoken to an ASIO
agent who had said ASIO were involved in the bombing. He
said an army bomb disposal vehicle was waiting in the
city at the time of the explosion (12.40 am) and Special
Branch were observing the hotel from nearby, as part of a
prearranged action.
Griffith also gave evidence
suggesting that even the then Prime Minister of
Australia, Malcolm Fraser, may have known about the
bungled attempt.
He also said that a man called
William Reeve-Parker had told him that an army officer
had admitted planting the bomb by switching rubbish bins
24 hours earlier. A statutory declaration by Reeve-Parker
was shown at the Hilton bombing Coroner's
inquest.
A Special Branch officer told
Griffiths that his colleagues were observing the Hilton
when the bomb went off and had tried to warn the police
who were guarding the hotel on regular duty with a phone
call. Griffiths said that he inferred the warning call
had been an "attempt to save our lives," but that it also
revealed security force involvement in the bombing. A
police switchboard operator's notebook confirmed the fact
that a call was received.
Recently I met Keith Burley, the
army man in charge of the sniffer dogs during the CHOGM
meeting. He felt it most likely that ASIO and Special
Branch were behind the bombing. Two weeks before the
meeting he was told to get his dogs ready. Then just
before it started he received a phone call saying they
would not be needed which he said was highly unusual. He
was certain that if his dogs had have been allowed to
search the area they would have detected the bomb "from
100 yards away!" ASIO would have known this and so it is
believed ASIO/Special Branch stopped him in order that
they could find the bomb and claim credit. He said he
traced the call not to bring the dogs, back to the Prime
Minister's security office, which is ASIO! (see "Army
Man's Letter" link)
Keith believes the explosion was
caused by a high tech plastic bomb, something only people
highly trained in explosives could use or have access to.
Other bomb experts confirm this. They claim that a small
group like Ananda Marga would not have access to such
technology or have the skills to use it.
Questions unanswered
include:
