Oklahoma City Bombing: Timothy McVeigh

1217 Words3 Pages

The Oklahoma City Bombing was a domestic terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April 19, 1995. It was lead by Timothy McVeigh, an Army veteran of the Persian Gulf War. The explosive was a homemade bomb which was built by McVeigh and the help of Terry Nichols; the bomb consisted of a deadly cocktail and was put inside a rented Ryder truck in front of the Murrah Federal Building . McVeigh then proceeded out of the truck and headed towards his getaway car a few blocks away. He then started the detonation of the timed bomb at exactly 9:02 A.M. then the bomb exploded. To the people of Oklahoma it was a traumatizing moment for all, many lost families, dozens of cars were incinerated and more than 300 buildings were destroyed and caused about $652 million worth of damages. The “OKBOMB” affected hundreds of people; it killed “168 people -- 19 of them children -- and injured more than 500.” (CNN.com) Within 90 minutes of the explosion, McVeigh was pulled over 80 miles north of Oklahoma City by a state trooper who noticed McVeigh's missing license plate. He was later arrested for having a concealed weapon. From there, a investigation was held and agents found traces of chemicals on McVeigh’s clothing similar to the ones from the bomb. They learned that McVeigh’s plan was due to the anger over the events at Waco Siege two years earlier. The bombing investigation was one of the most exhaustive in FBI history; “the Bureau had conducted more than 28,000 interviews, followed some 43,000 investigative leads, amassed three-and-a-half tons of evidence, and reviewed nearly a billion pieces of information.” (FBI.com) Oklahoma City bombing was “considered the worst and the largest terrorist act eve... ... middle of paper ... ...Cited "From Decorated Veteran to Mass Murderer Oklahoma City Bomber." CNN. Cable News News Network, 2001. Web. 21 Jan. 2014 . "The Waco Massacre." The Waco Massacre. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. . "Terror Hits Home: The Oklahoma City Bombing." FBI. FBI, 21 May 2010. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. . "And Jesus Wept." Wherearethedixonstoday.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2014. . Linenthal, Edward Tabor. The Unfinished Bombing: Oklahoma City in American Memory. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2001. Print. Davis, Jayna. The Third Terrorist: The Middle East Connection to the Oklahoma City Bombing. Nashville: WND, 2004. Print.

Open Document