I'm no fan of Eric Rudolph, but after looking over the charges from this FBI announcement, there is no way in hell this ever should have been a Federal case. Except to capture a fugitive who crossed state lines, that is.
This, BTW, is precisely why so many of the citizens out there in rural North Carolina had no interest in helping out the FBI.
Maybe you don't understand that the "except" you stated counts. Calling it an "except" is an interesting tactic though.
He did cross state lines--from North Carolina to Georgia and to Alabama. That's the basis for the federal prosecution. He could still face and probably will face state murder charges in Georgia and Alabama, plus numerous charges based on the injuries suffered by the bombings in both states. He'll face the death penalty in both states and probably at the federal level as well. Right now, it's just a matter of sorting out who goes first in trying him. For a number of years hence, Rudolph's life will be spent in a jail cell, going to court, meeting with his lawyers and being moved from jurisdiction to jurisdiction in shackles.