Wellington Trades Hall Bombing (1984)

Thu Mar 29, 1984

Image

Image: Two investigators poring over the wreckage from the bombing

On this day in 1984, the Trades Hall in Wellington, New Zealand was bombed, killing the building’s caretaker and badly injuring his dog. To this day, the perpetrator has not been identified.

The Trades Hall was the headquarters of a number of trade unions, and it is most commonly assumed that unions were the target of the bombing. Ernie Abbott, the building’s caretaker, was killed when he attempted to move the suitcase, which is believed to have contained three sticks of gelignite triggered by a mercury switch.

To this day, the perpetrator has never been identified. It was revealed in a 2019 episode of Cold Case that police had a prime suspect, a retired marine engineer with explosives expertise and anti-union attitudes, however the evidence was considered circumstantial and insufficient to lay charges.