Bio & Incident Details
Age: 27
Tour: 6 years
Badge # 13639
Cause: Terrorist attack
Incident Date: 9/11/1976
Weapon: Explosives; Bomb
Suspect: Five apprehended
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Officer Brian Murray was killed when a terrorist bomb he was trying to deactivate exploded.
Terrorists attempting to win Croatian independence, planted a bomb in a locker at Grand Central Station in Manhattan. The terrorists then hijacked a TWA flight. While en route to Europe, the terrorists transmitted their demands. The terrorists threatened to blow up the airplane with bombs, and to strengthen the impression that they had real bombs on the airplane, they told officials where they could find a bomb at Grand Central Station.
Officers from the Bomb Squad were sent to investigate, and they removed a bomb from a locker at the station. They then removed the bomb to the department range at Rodman's Neck in the Bronx, where Officer Murray, along with three other officers, attempted to defuse the bomb by remote control. When they were unsuccessful in defusing the bomb by remote, they approached it. During their approached, the bomb exploded, killing Officer Murray and seriously injuring the other three officers.
The five Croatian terrorists were arrested when the airplane they hijacked landed in Paris, France. All five suspects were returned to the United States where they were charged by the United States Government with Air Piracy, and by New York State with murder.
All five suspects were convicted of air piracy, and in addition two were convicted of murder. The two suspects convicted of murder were sentenced to life in prison, but that sentence was reduced in 1980. One suspect was paroled in 1989. The second was paroled in 2008 and then deported.
Croatian terrorists were responsible for several bombings in the late 1970's and early 1980's that resulted in the injury of many civilians and police officers.
Officer Murray had been employed with the New York City Police Department for six years, and is survived by his wife and two children.
