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Government plans to blow up bomber's truck

By Associated Press
Published September 15, 2005

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The government wants to blow up the truck Eric Rudolph was driving when he bombed an Alabama abortion clinic, a plan that has upset some of Rudolph's victims.

Authorities said they want to use the pickup in a training drill to prevent it from ending up in the hands of Rudolph's admirers.

"It was done partly out of concern that it would show up on eBay," said Assistant U.S. Attorney James Ingram, referring to the Internet auction site.

However, Emily Lyons, a nurse who was seriously wounded in the clinic bombing, wants the truck to go to Rudolph's victims, said her husband, Jeff Lyons.

Trucks similar to Rudolph's 1989 Nissan have a retail value of about $1,700, according to Kelley Blue Book, a pricing guide for used vehicles.

Rudolph was captured in May 2003, pleaded guilty in four bombings, and is now in federal prison serving four life terms.

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