| Sydney Hilton Hotel bombing | |
|---|---|
 The scene shortly after the bombing | |
| Location | Hilton Hotel, George Street, Sydney, Australia |
| Coordinates | 33°52′19″S 151°12′26″E / 33.87194°S 151.20722°E |
| Date | 13 February 1978 12:40 am (UTC+11) |
Attack type | Bomb |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Injured | 11 |
| Perpetrators | Evan Pederick was tried, convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment |
Sydney_Hilton_Hotel.jpg)
The Sydney Hilton Hotel bombing occurred on 13 February 1978, when a bomb exploded outside the Hilton Hotel in George Street, Sydney, Australia. The hotel was hosting the first Commonwealth Heads of Government Regional Meeting (CHOGRM), a regional offshoot of the biennial meetings of the heads of government from across the Commonwealth of Nations.
The bomb was planted in a rubbish bin and exploded when the bin was emptied into a garbage truck outside the hotel at 12:40 a.m. It killed two men, Alec Carter and William Favell, the garbage collectors who picked up the bin. A police officer guarding the entrance to the hotel lounge, Paul Burmistriw, died later. It injured eleven others. Twelve foreign leaders were staying in the hotel at the time, but none were injured. Australian prime minister Malcolm Fraser immediately deployed the Australian Army for the remainder of the CHOGRM meeting.[1]
The Hilton case has been highly controversial due to allegations that Australian security forces, such as the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), may have been responsible. This led to the Parliament of New South Wales unanimously calling for the Commonwealth to hold an inquiry in 1991 and 1995.[2][3]
The Hilton bombing was described in Parliament as the first and only domestic terrorist event in Australia.[2]
Prior to the bombing, the security forces had been under considerable pressure. In South Australia, the White inquiry into their police special branch was very critical, and ties with ASIO were cut.[2] New South Wales was about to have a similar inquiry. After the bombing, the NSW inquiry was never held, and the Commonwealth increased support for the anti-terrorism activities of the intelligence services.[4]
- ^ Anti-Terrorism Laws in Australia:The Security Legislation Amendment 2002 (PDF) (Report). University of Adelaide. 21 August 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
- ^ a b c Mr John Hatton (9 December 1991). "Hilton Hotel Bombing (1st motion for an inquiry)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Parliament of New South Wales: Government of New South Wales. Other speakers: The Hon Peter Collins; Mr Paul Whelan. Archived from the original on 23 September 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ Tink, Mr Andrew (21 September 1995). "Hilton Hotel Bombing Inquiry Proposal (2nd motion for an inquiry)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Parliament of New South Wales: Government of New South Wales. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
- ^ Daryl Dellora (1995). "Conspiracy". True Stories. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. An index can be found at [1]
- ^ "'Hilton bomb' sect in legal battle over $20m empire". Archived from the original on 12 October 2016.