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===Casualties===
===Casualties===


At the end of the day of the bombing, twenty were confirmed dead, including six children, and over a hundred injured.<ref name="Jennings 1995-04-19">{{cite news|title=World News Tonight With Peter Jennings |publisher=ABC |date=April 19, 1995}}</ref> The toll eventually reached 168 confirmed dead, not including an unmatched leg that might be from a possible, unidentified 169th victim.<ref name="CNN leg">Which is why sometimes it is sometimes claimed the bombing claimed 169 lives. The missing leg appears to have been a sort of "clerical" error, but nothing after 1996 could be found about it: {{cite web | year = [[February 23]] [[1996]] | accessdate = March 3 | accessyear = 2007 | title = Leg found in Oklahoma rubble belonged to known bombing victim | publisher = CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/US/OKC/daily/9602/02-23/index.html}}</ref> Of these, 163 were killed in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, one woman across the street, another in a parking lot, a man and woman in the Oklahoma Water Resources building, and a rescue worker struck in the head by debris.<ref name="USDJ"/> The victims ranged in age from three months to seventy-three, not including unborn children of three pregnant women.<ref name="Michel p234">Michel, p.234</ref><ref>In Terry Nichols state trial, he was charged with 162 counts of murder; this number includes one of the unborn.</ref> Nineteen of the victims were children, including fifteen who were in the America's Kids Day Care Center.<ref name="WAPost.com">{{cite web | title=Washington Post.com | work=Prosecutors Seek Death For Nichols | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/oklahoma/stories/nichols1230.htm | accessdate=January 31 | accessyear=2007}}</ref><!-- McVeigh's statements about not intending to target the day-care center were moved to the prior section, in a footnote. ~~~ --> The bodies of the 168 victims were identified at the scene through [[X-ray]]s, [[Dentistry|dental examinations]], [[fingerprint]]ing, and [[blood test]]s.<ref name="Michel p234"/>
At the end of the day of the bombing, twenty were confirmed dead, including six children, and over a hundred injured.<ref name="Jennings 1995-04-19">{{cite news|title=World News Tonight With Peter Jennings |publisher=ABC |date=April 19, 1995}}</ref> The toll eventually reached 168 confirmed dead, not including an unmatched leg that might be from a possible, unidentified 169th victim.<ref name="CNN leg">Which is why sometimes it is sometimes claimed the bombing claimed 169 lives. The missing leg appears to have been a sort of "clerical" error, but nothing after 1996 could be found about it: {{cite web | year = [[February 23]] [[1996]] | accessdate = March 3 | accessyear = 2007 | title = Leg found in Oklahoma rubble belonged to known bombing victim | publisher = CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/US/OKC/daily/9602/02-23/index.html}}</ref> Of these, 163 were killed in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, one woman across the street, another in a parking lot, a man and woman in the Oklahoma Water Resources building, and a rescue worker struck in the head by debris.<ref name="USDJ"/> The victims ranged in age from three months to seventy-three, not including unborn children of three pregnant women.<ref name="Michel p234">Michel, p.234</ref><ref>In Terry Nichols state trial, he was charged with 162 counts of murder; this number includes one of the unborn.</ref> Nineteen of the victims were children, including fifteen who were in the America's Kids Day Care Center.<ref name="WAPost.com">{{cite web | title=Washington Post.com | work=Prosecutors Seek Death For Nichols | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/oklahoma/stories/nichols1230.htm | accessdate=January 31 | accessyear=2007}}</ref><!-- McVeigh's statements about not intending to target the day-care center were moved to the prior section, in a footnote. ~~~ --> The bodies of all 168 victims were identified at a temporary morgue set up at the scene.<ref name="ITN">{{cite book |editor=Irving, Clive (ed.) |title=In Their Name |year=1995 |edition=First Edition |publisher=[[Random House]] |location=[[New York City]] |isbn=0-679-44825-X}}</ref> Twenty-four people, including sixteen specialists, used full-body [[X-ray]]s, [[Dentistry|dental examinations]], [[fingerprint]]ing, [[blood test]]s and [[Genetic fingerprinting|DNA testing]] to identify the bodies.<ref name="Michel p234"/><ref name="INT"/> The bomb injured 853 people. The majority of the injuries ranged from [[abrasion]]s to severe [[Burn (injury)|burn]]s and [[Bone fracture|fracture]]s.<!-- We don't need to cite every kind of injury, do we? Or are we going for shock value? ~~~ --><ref name="OSDH">{{cite web | title=Oklahoma State Department of Health | work=Summary of Reportable Injuries in Oklahoma | url=http://www.health.state.ok.us/PROGRAM/injury/Summary/bomb/OKCbomb.htm | accessdate=February 3 | accessyear=2007}}</ref>
The bomb injured 853 people. The majority of the injuries ranged from [[abrasion]]s to severe [[Burn (injury)|burn]]s and [[Bone fracture|fracture]]s.<!-- We don't need to cite every kind of injury, do we? Or are we going for shock value? ~~~ --><ref name="OSDH">{{cite web | title=Oklahoma State Department of Health | work=Summary of Reportable Injuries in Oklahoma | url=http://www.health.state.ok.us/PROGRAM/injury/Summary/bomb/OKCbomb.htm | accessdate=February 3 | accessyear=2007}}</ref>


==Response and Relief==
==Response and Relief==
===Rescue efforts===
===Rescue efforts===
At 9:03:25 a.m. CST, the first of over 1,800 [[9-1-1]] calls was received by Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA).<ref name="DPost">{{cite web | title=Denver Post Online | work=April 19, 1995 | url=http://extras.denverpost.com/bomb/his22.htm | accessdate=February 2 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> Already by that time, however, EMSA ambulances and members of the police and firefighter, having heard the large blast, were heading to the scene.<ref name="TM">{{cite web | title=The Army Lawyer | work=The Oklahoma City Bombing: Immediate Response Authority and Other Military Assistance to Civil Authority (MACA) | url=http://www.terrorisminfo.mipt.org/pdf/okcbombira_maca.pdf | accessdate=February 2 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> Nearby citizens, who had also witnessed or heard the blast, arrived to assist the victims and emergency workers.<ref name="Terrorism Info"/> Within twenty-three minutes of the bombing, the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) was set up and included representatives of the state departments of public safety, human services, military, health, and education. Assisting the SEOC were agencies such as the National Weather Service, the Civil Air Patrol, and the American Red Cross.<ref name="USDJ2">{{cite web | title=U.S. Department of Justice | work=Chapter II: The Immediate Crisis Response | url=http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/infores/respterrorism/chap2.html | accessdate=February 1 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> Immediate assistance also came from from 465 members of the Oklahoma National Guard, who arrived within the hour to provide security, and from members of the Department of Civil Emergency Management.<ref name="TM"/> Within the first hour, fifty people were rescued from the Murrah Federal building.<ref>{{cite book |last=Giordano |first=Geraldine |title=The Oklahoma City Bombing |year=2003 |publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. |location=New York |pages=36 |isbn=0-8239-3655-4}}</ref> Victims were sent to every hospital in the area; the majority were taken to St. Anthony Hospital, closest to the blast area.
At 9:03:25 a.m. CST, the first of over 1,800 [[9-1-1]] calls was received by Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA).<ref name="DPost">{{cite web | title=Denver Post Online | work=April 19, 1995 | url=http://extras.denverpost.com/bomb/his22.htm | accessdate=February 2 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> Already by that time, however, EMSA ambulances and members of the police and firefighter, having heard the large blast, were heading to the scene.<ref name="TM">{{cite web | title=The Army Lawyer | work=The Oklahoma City Bombing: Immediate Response Authority and Other Military Assistance to Civil Authority (MACA) | url=http://www.terrorisminfo.mipt.org/pdf/okcbombira_maca.pdf | accessdate=February 2 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> Nearby citizens, who had also witnessed or heard the blast, arrived to assist the victims and emergency workers.<ref name="Terrorism Info"/> Within twenty-three minutes of the bombing, the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) was set up and included representatives of the state departments of public safety, human services, military, health, and education. Assisting the SEOC were agencies such as the National Weather Service, the Civil Air Patrol, and the American Red Cross.<ref name="USDJ2">{{cite web | title=U.S. Department of Justice | work=Chapter II: The Immediate Crisis Response | url=http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/infores/respterrorism/chap2.html | accessdate=February 1 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> Immediate assistance also came from from 465 members of the Oklahoma National Guard, who arrived within the hour to provide security, and from members of the Department of Civil Emergency Management.<ref name="TM"/> Within the first hour, fifty people were rescued from the Murrah Federal building.<ref>{{cite book |last=Giordano |first=Geraldine |title=The Oklahoma City Bombing |year=2003 |publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. |location=New York |pages=36 |isbn=0-8239-3655-4}}</ref> Victims were sent to every hospital in the area. By the end of the day, 153 victims had been treated at St. Anthony Hospital, eight blocks from the blast, over 70 at Presbyterian, 41 at University, and 18 at Children's.<ref name="ITN"/>


At 10:28 a.m. CST, rescuers found what they believed to be a second bomb. This paused the rescue effort for nearly an hour while police evacuated a four-block area around the site.<ref name="DPost"/> However, once the device was determined to be a simulator used in training federal agents and bomb-sniffing dogs, the relief efforts continued.<ref name="TI3"/>
At 10:28 a.m. CST, rescuers found what they believed to be a second bomb. Some rescue workers initially refused to leave until police ordered a mandatory evacuation of a four-block area around the site.<ref name="DPost"/><ref name="INT"/> However about 45 minutes later the device was determined to be a simulator used in training federal agents and bomb-sniffing dogs, and relief efforts were continued.<ref name="TI3"/><ref name="INT"/> The last survivor, a fifteen year old girl found under the base of the collapsed building, was discovered at about 7:00 p.m. CST.<ref name="INT"/>


In the days following the blast, over 12,000 people participated in relief and rescue operations. [[Federal Emergency Management Agency|FEMA]] activated 11 of its [[FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force|Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces]], comprising a team of 665 rescue workers who assisted in rescue and recovery operations.<ref name="USDJ2"/><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.mipt.org/pdf/okcfr_App_E.pdf | title = FEMA Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) Summaries | accessdate = August 29 | accessyear = 2006}}</ref> [[Police dog|K-9]] units and out-of-state dogs were brought to search for survivors and bodies, eventually finding three amongst the building refuse.<ref name="TI3"/><ref>Giordano, p. 34</ref>
In the days following the blast, over 12,000 people participated in relief and rescue operations. [[Federal Emergency Management Agency|FEMA]] activated 11 of its [[FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force|Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces]], comprising a team of 665 rescue workers who assisted in rescue and recovery operations.<ref name="USDJ2"/><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.mipt.org/pdf/okcfr_App_E.pdf | title = FEMA Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) Summaries | accessdate = August 29 | accessyear = 2006}}</ref> In an effort to recover additional bodies, 100 to 350 tons of rubble was removed from the site each day until April 29.<ref name="INT"/>


Weeks after the bombing, rescue efforts ceased. On May 23, for safety reasons, the Murrah federal building was demolished.<ref name="CNNI">{{cite web | title=CNN Interactive | work=Federal Building Demolition | url=http://www.cnn.com/US/OKC/facts/Cleanup/Implosion5-23/index.html | accessdate=February 1 | accessyear=2007}}</ref><!-- Moved from "Media" section, below ~~~~ -->
Twenty-four [[Police dog|K-9]] units and out-of-state dogs were brought in to search for survivors and locate bodies amongst the building refuse.<ref name="INT"/><ref name="TI3"/><ref>Giordano, p. 34</ref> Rescue and recovery efforts were concluded at 11:50 p.m. on May 4, with the bodies of all but three victims recovered.<ref name="INT"/> On May 23, for safety reasons, the Murrah federal building was demolished and the final three bodies, those of two credit union employees and a customer, were recovered.<ref name="INT"/><ref name="CNNI">{{cite web | title=CNN Interactive | work=Federal Building Demolition | url=http://www.cnn.com/US/OKC/facts/Cleanup/Implosion5-23/index.html | accessdate=February 1 | accessyear=2007}}</ref><!-- Moved from "Media" section, below ~~~~ -->


===Humanitarian aid===
===Humanitarian aid===
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===Federal and state government aid===
===Federal and state government aid===
[[Image:Billclintonokcb.jpg|thumb|left|President Bill Clinton being told about the Oklahoma City bombing an hour after it occurred]]
[[Image:Billclintonokcb.jpg|thumb|left|President Bill Clinton being told about the Oklahoma City bombing an hour after it occurred]]
At 9:45 a.m. CST, Governor [[Frank Keating]] declared a [[state of emergency]] and ordered all non-essential workers located in the Oklahoma City area to be released from their duties for their safety.<ref name="Terrorism Info"/> [[President of the United States|President]] [[Bill Clinton]] learned about the bombing around 10:00 a.m. while he was meeting with Turkish Prime Minister [[Tansu Çiller]] at the White House.<ref name="Jennings 1995-04-19"/> At 4:00 p.m. CST, President Clinton declared a federal emergency in Oklahoma City<ref name="TM"/> and spoke to the nation: "The bombing in Oklahoma City was an attack on innocent children and defenseless citizens. It was an act of cowardice and it was evil. The United States will not tolerate it, and I will not allow the people of this country to be intimidated by evil cowards".<ref name="Jennings 1995-04-19"/> Four days later, on April 23, Clinton spoke from Oklahoma City. <!-- last setence moved from Media section -->
At 9:45 a.m. CST, Governor [[Frank Keating]] declared a [[state of emergency]] and ordered all non-essential workers located in the Oklahoma City area to be released from their duties for their safety.<ref name="Terrorism Info"/> [[President of the United States|President]] [[Bill Clinton]] learned about the bombing around 10:00 a.m. while he was meeting with Turkish Prime Minister [[Tansu Çiller]] at the White House.<ref name="Jennings 1995-04-19"/> At 4:00 p.m. CST, President Clinton declared a federal emergency in Oklahoma City<ref name="TM"/> and spoke to the nation: "The bombing in Oklahoma City was an attack on innocent children and defenseless citizens. It was an act of cowardice and it was evil. The United States will not tolerate it, and I will not allow the people of this country to be intimidated by evil cowards".<ref name="Jennings 1995-04-19"/> Four days later, on April 23, Clinton spoke from Oklahoma City. <!-- last sentence moved from Media section -->


There was no major federal financial assistance provided to the survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing, However, the Murrah Fund was established and collected over $300,000 from federal grants. Additionally, individuals around the country donated $15 million to aid the disaster relief and to compensate the victims.<ref name="USDJ2"/> Later, a committee chaired by Daniel J Kurtenbach of [[Goodwill Industries]] provided financial assistance to the survivors.{{cite web | url = http://www.gimv.org/about_us/ceo.htm | title = Meet Our President/CEO | publisher = Goodwill Industries | accessdate = August 29 | accessyear = 2006}}</ref> However, this financial assistance to the survivors was very small when compared to the hundreds of thousands of dollars of [[Financial assistance following the September 11, 2001 attacks|federal assistance]] received by the 9/11 survivors.
There was no major federal financial assistance provided to the survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing, However, the Murrah Fund was established and collected over $300,000 from federal grants. Additionally, individuals around the country donated $15 million to aid the disaster relief and to compensate the victims.<ref name="USDJ2"/> Later, a committee chaired by Daniel J Kurtenbach of [[Goodwill Industries]] provided financial assistance to the survivors.{{cite web | url = http://www.gimv.org/about_us/ceo.htm | title = Meet Our President/CEO | publisher = Goodwill Industries | accessdate = August 29 | accessyear = 2006}}</ref> However, this financial assistance to the survivors was very small when compared to the hundreds of thousands of dollars of [[Financial assistance following the September 11, 2001 attacks|federal assistance]] received by the 9/11 survivors.
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President Clinton and his wife, [[Hillary Clinton|Hillary]], showed concern about how children were reacting to the bombing. They requested that aides talk to child care specialists about how to talk to the children regarding the bombing. President Clinton spoke to the nation three days after the bombing, telling children: "I don't want our children to believe something terrible about life and the future and grownups in general because of this awful thing...most adults are good people who want to protect our children in their childhood and we are going to get through this".<ref name="DMN">Dallas Morning News. ''Berlin-Based Team's Design Chosen for Bomb Memorial; Winning Entry Evokes Images of Reflection, Hope''. July 5, 1997. Accessed February 1, 2007</ref> On the Saturday after the bombing, April 22, the Clintons gathered children of employees of federal agencies that had offices in the Murrah Building, and in a live nationwide television and radio broadcast, addressed their concerns.
President Clinton and his wife, [[Hillary Clinton|Hillary]], showed concern about how children were reacting to the bombing. They requested that aides talk to child care specialists about how to talk to the children regarding the bombing. President Clinton spoke to the nation three days after the bombing, telling children: "I don't want our children to believe something terrible about life and the future and grownups in general because of this awful thing...most adults are good people who want to protect our children in their childhood and we are going to get through this".<ref name="DMN">Dallas Morning News. ''Berlin-Based Team's Design Chosen for Bomb Memorial; Winning Entry Evokes Images of Reflection, Hope''. July 5, 1997. Accessed February 1, 2007</ref> On the Saturday after the bombing, April 22, the Clintons gathered children of employees of federal agencies that had offices in the Murrah Building, and in a live nationwide television and radio broadcast, addressed their concerns.


==Media involvement== <!-- I have trouble with the placement and relevence of this section. ~~~ -->
==Media involvement== <!-- I have trouble with the placement and relevance of this section. ~~~ -->
Hundreds of news trucks and members of the press arrived at the site to cover the story. The press immediately noticed that the bombing took place on the second anniversary of the [[Waco Siege|Waco incident]].<ref name="Jennings 1995-04-19"/> <!-- I think a same-day report is immediate enough --> Many initial news stories, however, hypothesized the attack had been undertaken by Islamic terrorists, such as those who had masterminded the [[World Trade Center bombing]] two years before.<ref name="Michel p249">Michel, p.249</ref> Some responded to these reports by attacking Muslims and people of Arab descent.<ref name="LS">{{cite web | title=LookSmart | work=The Unfinished Bombing: Oklahoma City in American Memory | url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_2680_130/ai_82013034 | accessdate=February 2 | accessyear=2007}}</ref><ref name="AIs">{{cite web | title=Al-Islam.org | work=The Utility of Islamic Imagery in the West | url=http://www.al-islam.org/al-tawhid/islamicimageryinwest.htm | accessdate=February 2 | accessyear=2007}}</ref><!-- reference to post-9/11 attacks on muslims/arabs deleted--><!-- These references are fairly weak, the AI-Islam org being a partisan speech which references uncited news reports ~~~ -->
Hundreds of news trucks and members of the press arrived at the site to cover the story. The press immediately noticed that the bombing took place on the second anniversary of the [[Waco Siege|Waco incident]].<ref name="Jennings 1995-04-19"/> <!-- I think a same-day report is immediate enough --> Many initial news stories, however, hypothesized the attack had been undertaken by Islamic terrorists, such as those who had masterminded the [[World Trade Center bombing]] two years before.<ref name="Michel p249">Michel, p.249</ref> Some responded to these reports by attacking Muslims and people of Arab descent.<ref name="LS">{{cite web | title=LookSmart | work=The Unfinished Bombing: Oklahoma City in American Memory | url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_2680_130/ai_82013034 | accessdate=February 2 | accessyear=2007}}</ref><ref name="AIs">{{cite web | title=Al-Islam.org | work=The Utility of Islamic Imagery in the West | url=http://www.al-islam.org/al-tawhid/islamicimageryinwest.htm | accessdate=February 2 | accessyear=2007}}</ref><!-- reference to post-9/11 attacks on muslims/arabs deleted--><!-- These references are fairly weak, the AI-Islam org being a partisan speech which references uncited news reports ~~~ -->


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* brief bio background on McVeigh. Include Gulf War Vet, militia associates, bank robberies, etc
* brief bio background on McVeigh. Include Gulf War Vet, militia associates, bank robberies, etc
* Mention Nichols and McVeigh were initially tried together, but were eventually ordered to stand trial apart, and that the McVeigh trial was moved to Denver in order to obtain an impartial jury and judge
* Mention Nichols and McVeigh were initially tried together, but were eventually ordered to stand trial apart, and that the McVeigh trial was moved to Denver in order to obtain an impartial jury and judge
* Pre-trial arraignment, conversations with lawyers, McVeigh's alleged confession, his description of victims of collatteral damage
* Pre-trial arraignment, conversations with lawyers, McVeigh's alleged confession, his description of victims of collateral damage
* <nowiki><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.courttv.com/archive/casefiles/oklahoma/documents/hearing2.html | title = Transcript of the April 9, 1996 hearing - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs. TIMOTHY JAMES McVEIGH and TERRY LYNN NICHOLS | work = Court TV Library | publisher = Court TV | accessdate = August 29 | accessyear = 2006}}</ref> </nowiki>
* <nowiki><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.courttv.com/archive/casefiles/oklahoma/documents/hearing2.html | title = Transcript of the April 9, 1996 hearing - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs. TIMOTHY JAMES McVEIGH and TERRY LYNN NICHOLS | work = Court TV Library | publisher = Court TV | accessdate = August 29 | accessyear = 2006}}</ref> </nowiki>
-->
-->
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McVeigh was represented by Stephen Jones, McVeigh wanted Jones to present a "necessity defense", that his bombing was intended to prevent future "crimes" by the government, such as the Waco and Ruby Ridge incidents. Jones, certain this approach would fail, refused to present it. He believed McVeigh was the self-sacrificial "fall guy" for a larger conspiracy. However, Judge Matsch ruled that the evidence supporting the larger conspiracy was insufficiently substantial to be admitted. Jones then attempted to raise reasonable doubt through arguing that no one had seen McVeigh near the scene of the crime; that the investigation into the bombing lasted a mere two weeks; and that the bombing could not have been accomplished by merely two men, but by a larger conspiracy of people that McVeigh was hiding. The defense called a mere 25 witnesses, all in the span of one week, including Dr. [[Frederic Whitehurst]], whose expert testimony demonstrated that the FBI's sloppiness ''might'' have contributed to contaminated evidence.<ref name="TMT"/>
McVeigh was represented by Stephen Jones, McVeigh wanted Jones to present a "necessity defense", that his bombing was intended to prevent future "crimes" by the government, such as the Waco and Ruby Ridge incidents. Jones, certain this approach would fail, refused to present it. He believed McVeigh was the self-sacrificial "fall guy" for a larger conspiracy. However, Judge Matsch ruled that the evidence supporting the larger conspiracy was insufficiently substantial to be admitted. Jones then attempted to raise reasonable doubt through arguing that no one had seen McVeigh near the scene of the crime; that the investigation into the bombing lasted a mere two weeks; and that the bombing could not have been accomplished by merely two men, but by a larger conspiracy of people that McVeigh was hiding. The defense called a mere 25 witnesses, all in the span of one week, including Dr. [[Frederic Whitehurst]], whose expert testimony demonstrated that the FBI's sloppiness ''might'' have contributed to contaminated evidence.<ref name="TMT"/>


The jury deliberated for twenty-three hours. On [[June 2]], [[1997]], McVeigh was found '''guilty''' on eleven counts of murder and conspiracy.<ref name="OSCN">{{cite web | title=Oklahoma State Courts Network | work=U.S. v. McVeigh | url=http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=151372 | accessdate=February 1 | accessyear=2007}}</ref><ref name="Guilty">{{cite web | title=Denver Post | work=Guilty on Every Count | url=http://www.rickross.com/reference/mcveigh/mcveigh14.html | accessdate=February 1 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> Alhough the defense argued for a reduced sentence of life imprisonment, McVeigh was sentenced to death.<ref name="Time">{{cite web | title=Time.com | work=McVeigh Given Death Penalty | url=http://www.time.com/time/reports/mcveigh/home.html | accessdate=February 3 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> He was executed by [[lethal injection]] at a U.S. penitentiary in [[Terre Haute, Indiana]], on [[June 11]], [[2001]].<ref name="CNN3">{{cite web | title=CNN.com | work=McVeigh execution: A "completion of justice" | url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/LAW/06/11/mcveigh.02/index.html | accessdate=January 25 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> The execution was televised on [[closed-circuit television]] so that the relatives of the victims could witness his death.<ref name="CTVN">{{cite web | title=CourtTV News | work=Ashcroft announces closed-circuit telecast of McVeigh execution | url=http://www.courttv.com/archive/news/2001/0412/ashcroft_ap.html | accessdate=February 2 | accessyear=2007}}</ref>
The jury deliberated for twenty-three hours. On [[June 2]], [[1997]], McVeigh was found '''guilty''' on eleven counts of murder and conspiracy.<ref name="OSCN">{{cite web | title=Oklahoma State Courts Network | work=U.S. v. McVeigh | url=http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=151372 | accessdate=February 1 | accessyear=2007}}</ref><ref name="Guilty">{{cite web | title=Denver Post | work=Guilty on Every Count | url=http://www.rickross.com/reference/mcveigh/mcveigh14.html | accessdate=February 1 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> Although the defense argued for a reduced sentence of life imprisonment, McVeigh was sentenced to death.<ref name="Time">{{cite web | title=Time.com | work=McVeigh Given Death Penalty | url=http://www.time.com/time/reports/mcveigh/home.html | accessdate=February 3 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> He was executed by [[lethal injection]] at a U.S. penitentiary in [[Terre Haute, Indiana]], on [[June 11]], [[2001]].<ref name="CNN3">{{cite web | title=CNN.com | work=McVeigh execution: A "completion of justice" | url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/LAW/06/11/mcveigh.02/index.html | accessdate=January 25 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> The execution was televised on [[closed-circuit television]] so that the relatives of the victims could witness his death.<ref name="CTVN">{{cite web | title=CourtTV News | work=Ashcroft announces closed-circuit telecast of McVeigh execution | url=http://www.courttv.com/archive/news/2001/0412/ashcroft_ap.html | accessdate=February 2 | accessyear=2007}}</ref>


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John Doe No. 2 | url=http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38432 | accessdate=February 24 | accessyear=2007}}</ref>
John Doe No. 2 | url=http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38432 | accessdate=February 24 | accessyear=2007}}</ref>


Another alleged cover-up by the federal government is based on an image showing the Ryder truck and McVeigh's getaway vehicle both located in a military compound before the bombing.<ref name="Mem">{{cite web | title=Members.Aol.com | work=The Truck | url=http://members.aol.com/bardsquill/truck.htm | accessdate=February 3| accessyear=2007}}</ref> Conspiracy theorists have also widely claimed that seismic recordings of the event were indicative of multiple bombs. This contention was refuted by U.S. Geological Survey and Oklahoma Geological Survey scientists, who recorded and analyzed seismic signals from the demolition of the Murrah building. These demolition seismograms showed that the two pulses of energy recorded in [[Norman, Oklahoma|Norman, OK]] from the bombing were due to the seismic response of the Earth rather than to multiple blast sources.<ref>Dietel, C., Digital seismic recordings of the May 23, 1005, demolition of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Olkahoma City, Oklahoma, USGS Open File Report 95-594, 1995.</ref>
Another alleged cover-up by the federal government is based on an image showing the Ryder truck and McVeigh's getaway vehicle both located in a military compound before the bombing.<ref name="Mem">{{cite web | title=Members.Aol.com | work=The Truck | url=http://members.aol.com/bardsquill/truck.htm | accessdate=February 3| accessyear=2007}}</ref> Conspiracy theorists have also widely claimed that seismic recordings of the event were indicative of multiple bombs. This contention was refuted by U.S. Geological Survey and Oklahoma Geological Survey scientists, who recorded and analyzed seismic signals from the demolition of the Murrah building. These demolition seismograms showed that the two pulses of energy recorded in [[Norman, Oklahoma|Norman, OK]] from the bombing were due to the seismic response of the Earth rather than to multiple blast sources.<ref>Dietel, C., Digital seismic recordings of the May 23, 1005, demolition of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USGS Open File Report 95-594, 1995.</ref>


In [[2006]], congressman [[Dana Rohrabacher]] said that the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the [[United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs|U.S. House Committee on International Relations]], which he chairs, would investigate whether the Oklahoma City bombers had assistance from foreign sources.<ref name="ChairR">{{cite web | title=Chairman's Report Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee | work=Chairman's Report Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee: The Oklahoma City Bombing: Was There A Foreign Connection? | url=http://www.terrorisminfo.mipt.org/pdf/Oklahoma-City-Bombing-Foreign-Connection-Rohrbacher.pdf | accessdate=January 31 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> On [[December 28]], [[2006]], when asked about fueling conspiracy theories with his questions and criticism, Rohrabacher told CNN: "There's nothing wrong with adding to a conspiracy theory when there might be a conspiracy, in fact".<ref name="TRS">{{cite web | title=The Raw Story | work=CNN: Is GOP Rep. 'fueling' Oklahoma City bombing conspiracy theories? | url=http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/GOP_Rep._fuels_Oklahoma_City_bombing_1228.html | accessdate=February 3| accessyear=2007}}</ref>
In [[2006]], congressman [[Dana Rohrabacher]] said that the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the [[United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs|U.S. House Committee on International Relations]], which he chairs, would investigate whether the Oklahoma City bombers had assistance from foreign sources.<ref name="ChairR">{{cite web | title=Chairman's Report Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee | work=Chairman's Report Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee: The Oklahoma City Bombing: Was There A Foreign Connection? | url=http://www.terrorisminfo.mipt.org/pdf/Oklahoma-City-Bombing-Foreign-Connection-Rohrbacher.pdf | accessdate=January 31 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> On [[December 28]], [[2006]], when asked about fueling conspiracy theories with his questions and criticism, Rohrabacher told CNN: "There's nothing wrong with adding to a conspiracy theory when there might be a conspiracy, in fact".<ref name="TRS">{{cite web | title=The Raw Story | work=CNN: Is GOP Rep. 'fueling' Oklahoma City bombing conspiracy theories? | url=http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/GOP_Rep._fuels_Oklahoma_City_bombing_1228.html | accessdate=February 3| accessyear=2007}}</ref>

Revision as of 20:48, 3 March 2007

Oklahoma City bombing
File:Oklahoma City bombing.jpg
Damage to the Murrah building before cleanup began.
LocationOklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Date19 April 1995
9:02am (UTC-5)
TargetAlfred P. Murrah Federal Building
Attack type
Truck bomb
Deaths168
Injured800+
PerpetratorsTimothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, and Michael Fortier
MotiveTo avenge the Waco Siege and Ruby Ridge

The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist attack on April 19 1995 aimed at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, a U.S. government office complex in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The attack claimed 168 lives and left over 800 injured. Until September 11, 2001, it was the deadliest act of terrorism within the U.S. borders.[1]

Within days after the bombing, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were arrested for their role in the bombing. Investigators determined that McVeigh and Nichols were sympathizers of an anti-government militia movement and that that their motive was to avenge the government's handling of the Waco and Ruby Ridge incidents. McVeigh was executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001; Nichols was sentenced to life in prison. A third conspirator, Michael Fortier, who testified against the two conspirators, was imprisoned for failing to warn the U.S. government. As with other large-scale terrorist attacks, conspiracy theories dispute the official claims and point to additional perpetrators involved.

The attacks led to the U.S. government passing legislation designed to increase protection around federal buildings and to thwart future terrorist attacks. Under these measures, law enforcement has since foiled over fifty domestic terrorism plots.[2] On April 19, 2000 the Oklahoma City National Memorial was dedicated on the site of the Murrah Federal Building to commemorate the victims of the bombing.

Terror

Prelude[3]

On April 15, 1995 Timothy McVeigh rented a Ryder truck in Herington, Kansas under the alias Robert D. Kling. On April 16, he drove to Oklahoma City with fellow conspirator Terry Nichols where he parked a getaway vehicle several blocks away from the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. After removing the license plate from the car, the two men returned to Kansas. On April 17 and 18, the men moved 108 fifty-pound bags of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, three fifty-five gallon drums of liquid nitromethane, several crates of explosive Tovex sausage, seventeen bags of ANFO, and spools of shock tube and cannon fuse. The two then drove to Geary Lake where they mixed the chemicals together using plastic buckets and a bathroom scale. Once it was completed, McVeigh added a dual-fuse ignition system which he could access through the truck's front cab. McVeigh also included more explosives on the driver's side of the cargo bay, which he could ignite with his Glock pistol if the primary fuses failed. After finishing the configuration of the truck-bomb, the two men separated, Nichols returning to Herington and McVeigh driving the truck to Oklahoma City.

At dawn on April 19, as he drove toward the Murrah Federal building, McVeigh carried with him an envelope whose contents included pages from The Turner Diaries, a fictional account of modern-day "patriots" who rise up against the government. He also wore a printed T-shirt which included phrases such as "SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS" ("Thus ever to tyrants", the phrase shouted by John Wilkes Booth as he assassinated Abraham Lincoln) and "The tree of liberty must be refreshed time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" (from revolutionary Thomas Jefferson). As the building approached the building, at 8:57 a.m. CST, McVeigh lit the five-minute fuse. Three minutes later, still a block away, he lit the two-minute fuse. He parked the Ryder truck in a drop-off zone (incidentally situated under the building's day-care center[4]), locked the vehicle, and headed to his getaway vehicle.

Bombing

At 9:02 a.m. CST, the Ryder truck, which contained about 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) of explosive material, detonated in front of the north side of the nine-story Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The blast destroyed a third of the building,[5] destroyed or damaged 324 buildings in a sixteen-block radius,[6] destroyed or burned 86 cars around the site, and shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings[7] (the broken glass alone accounted for 5% of the death total and 69% of the injuries outside the Murrah Federal building[8]). The destruction of the building left several hundred people homeless and shut down multiple offices in downtown Oklahoma City.[9]

An aerial view of the destruction

The effects of the blast were equivalent to 4,000 pounds of TNT and could be heard and felt up to fifty-five miles away.[9] Seismometers at the Omniplex Museum in Oklahoma City (7 kilometers away) and in Norman, Oklahoma (26 kilometers away) recorded the blast as measuring approximately 3.0 on the Richter scale.[10]

Arrests

Within 90 minutes of the explosion, McVeigh was arrested.[11] He was traveling north out of Oklahoma City on Interstate 35 near Perry in Noble County, when an Oklahoma State Trooper stopped him for driving his yellow 1977 Mercury Marquis without a license plate. The arrest was for having a concealed weapon.[12] Later that day, McVeigh was linked to the bombing via an axle from the destroyed Ryder truck.[13] Before McVeigh was to be released after a court hearing on the gun charges, federal agents picked him up in their investigation of the bombing.

File:OkcW.jpg
A security photo from a nearby building showing the Ryder truck approaching the Murrah Federal building.

Federal agents then searched for Nichols, a friend of McVeigh. Two days after the bombing, Nichols learned that FBI investigators were looking for him, and he turned himself in. After a nine-hour interrogation, he was formally held in federal custody until his trial for involvement in the bombing.[14]

Casualties

At the end of the day of the bombing, twenty were confirmed dead, including six children, and over a hundred injured.[15] The toll eventually reached 168 confirmed dead, not including an unmatched leg that might be from a possible, unidentified 169th victim.[16] Of these, 163 were killed in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, one woman across the street, another in a parking lot, a man and woman in the Oklahoma Water Resources building, and a rescue worker struck in the head by debris.[9] The victims ranged in age from three months to seventy-three, not including unborn children of three pregnant women.[17][18] Nineteen of the victims were children, including fifteen who were in the America's Kids Day Care Center.[19] The bodies of all 168 victims were identified at a temporary morgue set up at the scene.[20] Twenty-four people, including sixteen specialists, used full-body X-rays, dental examinations, fingerprinting, blood tests and DNA testing to identify the bodies.[17][21] The bomb injured 853 people. The majority of the injuries ranged from abrasions to severe burns and fractures.[22]

Response and Relief

Rescue efforts

At 9:03:25 a.m. CST, the first of over 1,800 9-1-1 calls was received by Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA).[23] Already by that time, however, EMSA ambulances and members of the police and firefighter, having heard the large blast, were heading to the scene.[24] Nearby citizens, who had also witnessed or heard the blast, arrived to assist the victims and emergency workers.[5] Within twenty-three minutes of the bombing, the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) was set up and included representatives of the state departments of public safety, human services, military, health, and education. Assisting the SEOC were agencies such as the National Weather Service, the Civil Air Patrol, and the American Red Cross.[25] Immediate assistance also came from from 465 members of the Oklahoma National Guard, who arrived within the hour to provide security, and from members of the Department of Civil Emergency Management.[24] Within the first hour, fifty people were rescued from the Murrah Federal building.[26] Victims were sent to every hospital in the area. By the end of the day, 153 victims had been treated at St. Anthony Hospital, eight blocks from the blast, over 70 at Presbyterian, 41 at University, and 18 at Children's.[20]

At 10:28 a.m. CST, rescuers found what they believed to be a second bomb. Some rescue workers initially refused to leave until police ordered a mandatory evacuation of a four-block area around the site.[23][21] However about 45 minutes later the device was determined to be a simulator used in training federal agents and bomb-sniffing dogs, and relief efforts were continued.[7][21] The last survivor, a fifteen year old girl found under the base of the collapsed building, was discovered at about 7:00 p.m. CST.[21]

In the days following the blast, over 12,000 people participated in relief and rescue operations. FEMA activated 11 of its Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces, comprising a team of 665 rescue workers who assisted in rescue and recovery operations.[25][27] In an effort to recover additional bodies, 100 to 350 tons of rubble was removed from the site each day until April 29.[21]

Twenty-four K-9 units and out-of-state dogs were brought in to search for survivors and locate bodies amongst the building refuse.[21][7][28] Rescue and recovery efforts were concluded at 11:50 p.m. on May 4, with the bodies of all but three victims recovered.[21] On May 23, for safety reasons, the Murrah federal building was demolished and the final three bodies, those of two credit union employees and a customer, were recovered.[21][29]

Humanitarian aid

The national humanitarian response was immediate and overwhelming. Rescue workers received large amounts of donated goods such as wheelbarrows, bottled water, rain gear, and football helmets.[30] In fact, the sheer number of donated goods caused logistical and inventory control problems until drop-off centers were set up to accept and sort the goods.[5] Requests for blood donations were met by local residents[15] and also from those around the nation.[31] Of the 9,000 units of blood donated to the victims, only 131 units were used, the rest saved in blood banks.[32]

Federal and state government aid

File:Billclintonokcb.jpg
President Bill Clinton being told about the Oklahoma City bombing an hour after it occurred

At 9:45 a.m. CST, Governor Frank Keating declared a state of emergency and ordered all non-essential workers located in the Oklahoma City area to be released from their duties for their safety.[5] President Bill Clinton learned about the bombing around 10:00 a.m. while he was meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Çiller at the White House.[15] At 4:00 p.m. CST, President Clinton declared a federal emergency in Oklahoma City[24] and spoke to the nation: "The bombing in Oklahoma City was an attack on innocent children and defenseless citizens. It was an act of cowardice and it was evil. The United States will not tolerate it, and I will not allow the people of this country to be intimidated by evil cowards".[15] Four days later, on April 23, Clinton spoke from Oklahoma City.

There was no major federal financial assistance provided to the survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing, However, the Murrah Fund was established and collected over $300,000 from federal grants. Additionally, individuals around the country donated $15 million to aid the disaster relief and to compensate the victims.[25] Later, a committee chaired by Daniel J Kurtenbach of Goodwill Industries provided financial assistance to the survivors."Meet Our President/CEO". Goodwill Industries. Retrieved August 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)</ref> However, this financial assistance to the survivors was very small when compared to the hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal assistance received by the 9/11 survivors.

Children terrorized

The image of firefighter Chris Fields holding the dying infant Baylee Almon won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography in 1996

In the wake of the bombing, the national media seized upon the fact that 19 of the victims had been children. Schools across the country were dismissed early and ordered closed. A photograph of firefighter Chris Fields emerging from the rubble with infant Baylee Almon, who later died in a nearby hospital, was reprinted worldwide and became a symbol of the tragedy.[33]

The images and thoughts of innocent children dying terrorized many children who, as demonstrated by later research, showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.[34]

President Clinton and his wife, Hillary, showed concern about how children were reacting to the bombing. They requested that aides talk to child care specialists about how to talk to the children regarding the bombing. President Clinton spoke to the nation three days after the bombing, telling children: "I don't want our children to believe something terrible about life and the future and grownups in general because of this awful thing...most adults are good people who want to protect our children in their childhood and we are going to get through this".[35] On the Saturday after the bombing, April 22, the Clintons gathered children of employees of federal agencies that had offices in the Murrah Building, and in a live nationwide television and radio broadcast, addressed their concerns.

Media involvement

Hundreds of news trucks and members of the press arrived at the site to cover the story. The press immediately noticed that the bombing took place on the second anniversary of the Waco incident.[15] Many initial news stories, however, hypothesized the attack had been undertaken by Islamic terrorists, such as those who had masterminded the World Trade Center bombing two years before.[36] Some responded to these reports by attacking Muslims and people of Arab descent.[37][38]

As the rescue effort wound down, the media interest shifted to the investigation, arrests, and trials of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, and on the search for an additional suspect, "John Doe 2", who did not resemble Nichols but had been seen with McVeigh.[39]

Trials and sentencing of the conspirators

File:Mcveighmugshot.jpg
Timothy McVeigh's mug shot after being arrested less than two hours after the bombing for driving without a license plate and having a concealed weapon
Mug shot of Terry Nichols shortly after the bombing
File:Michaelfortiercourt.jpg
Michael Fortier leaving the court room after testifying in the case against Terry Nichols

The FBI led the official investigation, known as OKBOMB.[40] It was the nation's largest criminal case in history, with FBI agents conducting 28,000 interviews, amassing 3.5 tons of evidence, and collecting nearly one billion pieces of information.[41][13] The investigation led to the separate trials and convictions of McVeigh, Nichols, and Fortier.

Timothy McVeigh

The United States was represented by a team of prosecutors, led by Joesph Hartzler. In his opening statement, Hartzler outlined McVeigh's motivations and the evidence against him. McVeigh's motivation, he said, was hatred of the government, which began during his tenure in the Army as he read the Turner Diariess, and grew through the increase in taxes and the passage of the Brady Bill, and grew further with the Waco and Ruby Ridge incidents. The prosecution called 137 witnesses, including Michael Fortier, Micahel's wife Lori Fortier, and McVeigh's sister, Jennifer McVeigh, all of whom testified on McVeigh's hatred of the government and demonstrated desire to take militant action against it. Both Fortiers testified that McVeigh had told them of his plans to bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building; Michael revealed how McVeigh had chosen the date.[42]

McVeigh was represented by Stephen Jones, McVeigh wanted Jones to present a "necessity defense", that his bombing was intended to prevent future "crimes" by the government, such as the Waco and Ruby Ridge incidents. Jones, certain this approach would fail, refused to present it. He believed McVeigh was the self-sacrificial "fall guy" for a larger conspiracy. However, Judge Matsch ruled that the evidence supporting the larger conspiracy was insufficiently substantial to be admitted. Jones then attempted to raise reasonable doubt through arguing that no one had seen McVeigh near the scene of the crime; that the investigation into the bombing lasted a mere two weeks; and that the bombing could not have been accomplished by merely two men, but by a larger conspiracy of people that McVeigh was hiding. The defense called a mere 25 witnesses, all in the span of one week, including Dr. Frederic Whitehurst, whose expert testimony demonstrated that the FBI's sloppiness might have contributed to contaminated evidence.[42]

The jury deliberated for twenty-three hours. On June 2, 1997, McVeigh was found guilty on eleven counts of murder and conspiracy.[43][44] Although the defense argued for a reduced sentence of life imprisonment, McVeigh was sentenced to death.[45] He was executed by lethal injection at a U.S. penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, on June 11, 2001.[46] The execution was televised on closed-circuit television so that the relatives of the victims could witness his death.[47]

Terry Nichols

Terry Nichols stood trial twice. He was first tried by the Federal Government in 1997 and found guilty of conspiring to build a weapon of mass destruction and of eight counts of involuntary manslaughter of federal officers.[48] After he received the sentence on June 4, 1998 of life-without-parole, the State of Oklahoma in 2000 sought a death-penalty conviction on 161 counts of first-degree murder. On May 26, 2004 The jury found him guilty on all charges, but deadlocked on the issue of sentencing him to death. Presiding Judge Steven W. Taylor then determined the sentence of 161 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. [49] He is currently held in the ADX Florence Federal Prison.[50]

Michael Fortier

Though Michael Fortier was considered an accomplice and co-conspirator, he agreed to testify against McVeigh in exchange for a modest sentence and immunity for his wife.[51] He was sentenced on May 27, 1998 to 12 years in prison and fined $200,000 for failing to warn authorities about the attack.[49] On January 20, 2006, after serving eighty-five percent of his sentence, he was released for good behavior into the Witness Protection Program and given a new identity.[52]

Others

No "John Doe #2" was ever identified, nothing conclusive was ever reported regarding the owner of the missing leg, and the government never openly investigated anyone else in conjunction with the bombing. Though the defense teams in both McVeigh's and Nichols trials tried to implicate others were involved, Judge Steven W. Taylor from the Nichols trial found no credible, relevant, or legally admissible evidence of anyone other than McVeigh and Nichols as having directly participated in the bombing.[42]

Aftermath

Until the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Oklahoma City bombing was the deadliest act of terror against the U.S. on American soil.[1] In response, the U.S. Government enacted several pieces of legislation, notably the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.[53]

In the weeks following the bombing, federal government surrounded all federal buildings in all major cities with prefabricated Jersey barriers to ward off similar attacks.[54] Most of these temporary barriers have since been replaced with permanent security barriers which look more attractive and are driven deep into the ground for sturdiness.[55][56] Furthermore, all new federal buildings must now be constructed with truck-resistant barriers and with deep setbacks from surrounding streets to minimize their vulnerability to truck bombs.[57][58][59]

According to Mark Potok, director of Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center, law enforcement officials authorities have foiled 60 domestic terror plots since the Oklahoma City bombing.[2] The attacks were prevented due to measures established by the local and federal government to increase security of high-priority targets and following-up on hate groups within the United States.

Oklahoma City, being the first major American city to suffer a mass-casualty terrorist attack, and its response to the bombing have been carefully scrutinized for valuable lessons to security experts and law enforcement.

Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

Main article: Oklahoma City National Memorial

For two years after the bombing, the only memorial for the victims were stuffed animals, crucifixes, letters, and other personal items left by thousands of people at a security fence surrounding the site of the building.[60]

The reflecting pool at the Oklahoma City National Memorial

In early 1996, the Murrah Federal Building Memorial Task Force, comprised of 350 members, was established to formulate plans in choosing a memorial to commemorate the victims of the bombing.[35] On July 1, 1997, the winning design was chosen unanimously by a 15-member panel from 624 submissions.[61][62] The memorial, which has become part of the National Park Service, was designed by Oklahoma City architects Hans and Torrey Butzer and Steven Berg. It was dedicated by President Clinton on April 19, 2000, exactly five years after the bombing.[63][62]

The museum includes a reflecting pool flanked by two large "gates", one inscribed with the time 9:01, the opposite with 9:03, the pool between representing the moment of the blast. On the south end of the memorial is a field full of symbolic bronze and stone chairs—one for each person lost, arranged based on what floor they were on. The chairs represent the empty chairs at the dinner tables of the victim's family. The seats of the children killed are smaller than those of the adults lost. On the opposite side is the "survivor tree", part of the building's original landscaping that somehow survived the blast and fires that followed it. The memorial left part of the foundation of the building intact, so that visitors can see the scale of the destruction. Around the western edge of the memorial is a portion of the chain link fence which had amassed over 800,000 personal items which were later collected by the Oklahoma City Memorial Foundation.[64]

File:Weeping-jesus-statue.jpg
In front of the memorial is a statue of Jesus weeping for the victims who died in the bombing

On a corner adjacent to the memorial is a sculpture titled "And Jesus Wept", erected by St. Joseph's Catholic Church. St. Joseph's, one of the first brick and mortar churches in the city, was almost completely destroyed by the blast. The statue is not part of the memorial itself but is popular with visitors nonetheless. North of the memorial is the Journal Record Building which now houses the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, an affiliate of the National Park Service. Also in the building is the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, a non-partisan think tank.

Tenth anniversary

From April 17 to 24, 2005, to mark the tenth anniversary of the bombing in Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma City National Memorial held a week-long series of events known as the "National Week of Hope."[65]

On the 19th, as in previous years, the tenth anniversary of the bombing observances began with a service at 09:02 CST, marking the moment the bomb went off, with the traditional 168 seconds of silence - one second for each person who was killed as a result of the blast. The service also included the traditional reading of the names, read by children to symbolize the future of Oklahoma City.[66]

Vice President Dick Cheney, former president Clinton, Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry, former Oklahoma governor Frank Keating, and other political dignitaries attended the service and gave speeches in which they emphasized that "goodness overcame evil".[67] The relatives of the victims and the survivors of the blast also made note of it during the service at First United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City.[68]

President George W. Bush made note of the anniversary in a written statement, part of which echoes his remarks on the execution of Timothy McVeigh in 2001: "For the survivors of the crime and for the families of the dead the pain goes on."[69] Bush was invited but did not attend the service because he was en route to Springfield, Illinois to dedicate the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Vice President Cheney presided over the service in his place.[67]

Conspiracy theories

There are a small number of conspiracy theorists, who, drawing from "inaccurate" early news reports and numerous recorded eyewitness reports as well as Governor Frank Keating's preliminary, inaccurate statements, believe there is a large conspiracy covering up the existence of additional planted explosives.[70] Multiple websites have arisen showing articles pointing to alleged cover-ups and other possible perpetrators who helped in planning the bombing.[71][72][73] Conspiracy theorists say there are several discrepancies, such as a retired U.S. explosives expert stating that the size of the blast was not consistent with the bomb used by McVeigh. The expert called the bombing "a massive cover-up of immense proportions."[74][75]

Several witnesses reported a second person seen around the time of the bombing; investigators would later call him "John Doe 2". There are several theories that the second person was also affiliated with the bombing and was even a possible foreign connection to McVeigh and Nichols.[76][77] Although the U.S. government did arrest an Army private who resembled a artist's rendering of John Doe 2 based on eyewitness accounts, they later released him after their investigation reported he was not involved with the bombing.[78]

Another alleged cover-up by the federal government is based on an image showing the Ryder truck and McVeigh's getaway vehicle both located in a military compound before the bombing.[79] Conspiracy theorists have also widely claimed that seismic recordings of the event were indicative of multiple bombs. This contention was refuted by U.S. Geological Survey and Oklahoma Geological Survey scientists, who recorded and analyzed seismic signals from the demolition of the Murrah building. These demolition seismograms showed that the two pulses of energy recorded in Norman, OK from the bombing were due to the seismic response of the Earth rather than to multiple blast sources.[80]

In 2006, congressman Dana Rohrabacher said that the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the U.S. House Committee on International Relations, which he chairs, would investigate whether the Oklahoma City bombers had assistance from foreign sources.[81] On December 28, 2006, when asked about fueling conspiracy theories with his questions and criticism, Rohrabacher told CNN: "There's nothing wrong with adding to a conspiracy theory when there might be a conspiracy, in fact".[82]

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Prior to 9-11, the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 was the deadliest act of terror against a US civilian target, claiming 189. The deadliest act of terror against a US target had been the 1983 bombing in Beirut, claiming 241 US servicemen.
  2. ^ a b Talley, Tim (2006). "Experts fear Oklahoma City bombing lessons forgotten". Retrieved 2006-04-18. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Except where noted, all statements in this section come from Michel, Lou (2001). American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh & The Oklahoma City Bombing. New York: ReganBooks. ISBN 0-06-039407-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help), pages 209-231
  4. ^ McVeigh would later state: "If I had known [the day-care center] was there, I probably would have shifted the target". Michel, pp.245-246
  5. ^ a b c d "Terrorism Info" (PDF). The Oklahoma Department of Civil Emergency Management After Action Report. Retrieved February 2. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Forensic Engineering" (PDF). Blast Loading and Response of Murrah Building. Retrieved February 2. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ a b c "Terrorism Info" (PDF). Oklahoma City Police Department Alfred P. Murrah Building Bombing After Action Report. Retrieved February 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "Safety Solutions". case study 30. Retrieved February 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ a b c "U.S. Department of Justice". Responding to Terrorism Victims: Oklahoma City and Beyond. Retrieved January 31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Holzer, T. (October 8). "Seismograms offer insight into Oklahoma City Bombing". EOS Transactions: 77 (41). {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "The Oklahoma City Bombing". Library Fact File. The Indianapolis Star. August 9 2004. Retrieved August 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |year= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "LAWeekly.com". Secrets of Timothy McVeigh. Retrieved January 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ a b Serano, Richard (1998). One of Ours:Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 139–141. ISBN 0-393-02743-0.
  14. ^ "CourtTV News". The Oklahoma City Bombing Case: The Second Trial. Retrieved February 18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ a b c d e "World News Tonight With Peter Jennings". ABC. April 19, 1995.
  16. ^ Which is why sometimes it is sometimes claimed the bombing claimed 169 lives. The missing leg appears to have been a sort of "clerical" error, but nothing after 1996 could be found about it: "Leg found in Oklahoma rubble belonged to known bombing victim". CNN. February 23 1996. Retrieved March 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |year= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ a b Michel, p.234
  18. ^ In Terry Nichols state trial, he was charged with 162 counts of murder; this number includes one of the unborn.
  19. ^ "Washington Post.com". Prosecutors Seek Death For Nichols. Retrieved January 31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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  33. ^ The photo, taken by utility company employee Charles H. Porter IV, earned the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography. "1996 Pulitzer Prizes-SPOT NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY". Pulitzer Prize. Retrieved August 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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References

  • Giordano, Geraldine (2003). The Oklahoma City Bombing. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. ISBN 0-8239-3655-4
  • Michel, Lou; Herbeck, Dan (2001). American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh & The Oklahoma City Bombing. New York: ReganBooks. ISBN 0-06-039407-2
  • Serano, Richard A. (1998). One of Ours:Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-02743-0

See also

35°28′23″N 97°31′01″W / 35.47306°N 97.51694°W / 35.47306; -97.51694

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