Wiretap That Stopped the 1980 Statue of Liberty Bombers | The FBI Files | S6 E16

A bluff at the Yugoslav mission. Book bombs in the mail. A wire that almost gave everything away. This episode of The FBI Files follows agents as Croatian radicals turn American cities into targets — from Serbo-Croatian extortion letters sent nationwide to twin bombs planted at the UN and Grand Central, and a devastating strike at the Statue of Liberty’s base. Inside the investigation: the Akron postmarks that change the hunt, an ATF sting with dummy dynamite, a van retrofitted for a sniper shot at writer Pero Vucas, and the late-night re-install of a critical tap in Stepan Sajic’s basement. As translators decode euphemisms like “the package” and “the drop-off,” a reluctant insider finally talks, pointing agents toward a dance hall plot with 300 potential victims. What agents find in a closet — and under paint cloths — shifts the entire case. Watch to see how meticulous surveillance, cultural fluency, and one informant turned a scattered bombing campaign into a prosecutable conspiracy. Don’t miss the moment that prevents the next attack. #FBIFiles #StatueOfLiberty #TrueCrimeDoc #FBI #Counterterrorism #BombSquad #Wiretap