Timothy McVeigh

Timothy James McVeigh (April 23, 1968 – June 11, 2001), considered by the FBI an American domestic terrorist, was executed for his part in the April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City bombing. Hundreds were injured and 167 men, women and children died when a truck loaded with improvised explosives was detonated in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building as federal offices began business for the day. Later a 168th victim died when a huge chunk of concrete crushed a rescue worker.

Alleged accomplices

Before his execution, some speculated McVeigh was framed, or that others were involved. Convicted co-conspirator Terry Nichols was sentenced in federal court to life in prison for his role in the crime, but at Nichols' trial, testimony suggested McVeigh had several other accomplices. McVeigh's original trial attorney wrote in a book, Others Unknown, about several other possible suspects, and continued to implicate Terry Nichols' brother, James, following McVeigh's execution.

Related Topics:
Terry Nichols - Others Unknown

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Various analysts have suggested the government had a role in a conspiracy behind the bombing, or even planned the attack, so as to have grounds for persecuting right-wing organizations in a manner similar to Nazi prosecution of legislators after the Reichstag fire. Soon after the bombing an analysis by Brigadier General Benton K. Partin (Ret.) concluded that "the damage at the Murrah Federal Building is not the result of the truck bomb itself, but rather due to other factors such as locally placed charges within the building itself". Partin's report, released in the weeks following the bombing, was based on assumptions the bomb was fueled with diesel fuel, but did not account for the greater explosive strength of nitromethane in an improvised explosive device.

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Some writers suggested that seismographic records from a nearby research station shortly after the explosion indicated the possibility of multiple explosions, but other analysts suggest multiple readings within seconds indicate shock waves from collapse of the building.

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In February 2004, the FBI announced it would review its investigation after learning agents in the investigation of the MidWest Bank Robbers had turned up explosive caps of the same type that were used to trigger the bomb. McVeigh had affiliated with the Aryan-oriented gang in the months before the bombing. He and members of the gang were all reportedly at Elohim City in northern Arkansas at a time shortly before the attack. McVeigh's presence was verified by an Arkansas speeding ticket issued at the time, while the others' visit to the compound was discovered as part of the bank robbery investigations.

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Agents in 2004 expressed surprise that the bombing investigators had not been provided information from the MidWest Bank Robbers investigation. Shortly before McVeigh's June 2001 execution evidence related to the Bank Robbers gang was presented to a court resulting in a delay of his scheduled execution by one week. McVeigh eventually declined any further delays, and maintained until his death that he had acted alone in the bombing.

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A few unofficial investigators, primarily journalists, identified the MidWest Bank Robbers as likely suspects at the time of the original investigation. Other evidence destroyed from the Bank Robbers investigation included a drivers license of a gun dealer who was robbed in the months before the attack. Neither McVeigh nor convicted accomplice Nichols were convicted of the robbery, and investigators never resolved questions about who participated in that crime, which they said funded construction and delivery of the bomb that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

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One of the bank robbers had been arrested and confined in a Georgia jail, but prosecutors approved his release at the request of the Secret Service, who wanted the man's assistance. Secret Service agents said they needed the man to help them find another man with elite military experience whose political ideals made him an especially dangerous criminal. The freed man eluded handlers and apparently joined the bank robbery gang.

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Shortly after the bombing, an ATF informant, Carolyn Howe, told reporters she had warned her handlers in the weeks before the bombing that guests of Elohim City were planning a major bombing attack. Several residents of central Kansas, including real estate agent Georgia Rucker and a retired Army NCO testified at the Terry Nichols federal trial that they had seen two trucks at Geary State Lake where prosecutors alleged the bomb was assembled. The retired NCO said he visited the lake on April 18, 1995, but left after a group of surly men looked at him aggressively. The operator of Dreamland Motel testified that two Ryder trucks had been parked outside her Grandview Plaza motel where McVeigh stayed in Room 26 the weekend before the bombing.

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McVeigh's first trial attorney, Stephen Jones (attorney), also suggested in his book on the case that Terry Nichols had crossed paths with suspected Islamic terrorists during his frequent visits to the Philippines before the attacks. Nichols' father-in-law at the time was a Philippine police officer who owned an apartment building often rented to Arabic-speaking students with alleged terrorist connections.

Related Topics:
Stephen Jones (attorney) - Terry Nichols

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