Who Killed Alex Odeh? New Doc Probes 1985 Bombing Case

On October 11, 1985, Alex Odeh, a 41-year-old Palestinian American activist, opened the door to his office in Santa Ana, California. A pipe bomb exploded, killing him instantly and injuring seven others in the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee building on East 17th Street.

Background

Alex Odeh worked as the West Coast regional director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, or ADC. The group started in 1980 to fight anti-Arab bias in U.S. media and push for fair coverage of Middle East issues. Odeh, a husband and father of three daughters, lived in the area. He spoke out for peace and dialogue between communities.

The day before the bombing, Odeh went on the TV show Nightline. He debated a Jewish Defense League member and said the Palestine Liberation Organization had no role in the Achille Lauro ship hijacking. That hijacking ended the day before Odeh died, with the murder of a Jewish American passenger. Odeh had plans to speak at a synagogue in Fountain Valley the next day for Friday prayers.

This attack came amid a wave of violence. Earlier that year, on August 16, a bomb hit the ADC office in Boston, hurting two police officers. Another ADC office in Washington, D.C., faced threats too. Federal agents saw these as part of a pattern linked to tensions over Israel and Palestine.

Santa Ana police got the call around 9 a.m. Officer Hugh Mooney, then a deputy chief, took charge of the scene. Firefighters set up a command post nearby. A helicopter soon landed with FBI agents and Los Angeles Police Department terrorism task force members. They said they tracked suspects from New York to Los Angeles but lost them at the airport. Mooney remembers them naming two men tied to the Jewish Defense League, an extremist group started by Rabbi Meir Kahane.

The Jewish Defense League focused on militant actions against perceived enemies of Israel. The FBI at first pointed to the group for several bombings that year, including this one. A month later, an FBI spokesman publicly blamed the JDL. But the agency later dropped that line from public statements.

Key Details

Odeh suffered severe injuries from the blast. Doctors at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana noted a traumatic amputation of one leg. He never woke up and died two hours later. The bomb used a tripwire, rigged to go off when the door opened. It wrecked the second floor of the building and broke windows blocks away.

Early Suspects and FBI Response

Right after the bombing, the FBI named three suspects: Robert Manning, Keith Fuchs, and Andy Green. All had ties to the Jewish Defense League. Agents said the men fled to Israel soon after. An internal FBI memo from assistant director Floyd Clarke noted key suspects lived in Kiryat Arba, a West Bank settlement.

Mooney says local police handed over the case to the FBI quickly. No witnesses came forward, no fingerprints turned up, and no surveillance captured the planting of the bomb. How the device got there stays unknown. In 1996, the Justice Department and FBI offered a $1 million reward for tips leading to a conviction. Officers who met with FBI that year left feeling their efforts wasted.

Years later, new info surfaced. In 2007, the FBI got details from a dying informant, former JDL member Earl Krugel. He served 20 years for plotting bombs at a California mosque and a congressman's office. Krugel named those behind Odeh's death before he died in prison. Another JDL figure, Earl Rubin, died awaiting trial on those charges.

The case drew congressional attention. In 1986, Representative John Conyers held hearings on the killing. Groups like the American Jewish Committee and Anti-Defamation League condemned the murder. President Ronald Reagan spoke against it too.

Every year, the ADC marks the date. A statue of Odeh stands outside the Santa Ana site. His wife, Norma, and daughters Helena, Semy, and Susan carry on without justice.

"The information I had was that he had a traumatic amputation of one of his legs. It didn’t look good for him. I wanted to get a dying declaration if one was available." – Hugh Mooney, Santa Ana Police Officer

What This Means

Forty years on, the FBI lists the case as open but unsolved. No arrests happened despite early leads and names. Suspects in Israel face no U.S. extradition. The bombing exposed how Middle East conflicts spilled into American streets. It hit Arab American communities hard, shaking trust in federal protection.

The new documentary 'Who Killed Alex Odeh?' by Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans looks at this history. Premiering at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and Berlinale, it pulls together old records, witness accounts, and family stories. Directors track new leads and dig into buried files. They show how Odeh's death fueled a push for accountability that still runs.

Odeh's work for dialogue now echoes in calls to reopen the probe. ADC leaders and others urge the FBI and Justice Department to act. Lawmakers like Conyers pushed before; fresh voices join today. The film spotlights a trail from 1985 to now, when political violence divides groups.

Santa Ana remembers Odeh as a teacher, poet, and bridge-builder. His killing left gaps: no trial, no closure. Families wait. Agents say the probe goes on, but years pass without movement. This case tests promises of justice for all Americans, no matter their background.