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.

Biography

McVeigh was born in Western New York State in Pendleton (near Buffalo) to an Irish-American Catholic family, which was riven by divorce. McVeigh and his siblings lived with their father, a devout Catholic who often attended Daily Mass. Timothy McVeigh's religious beliefs seem to have been shaken somewhat, but not lost entirely, as he was visited by a chaplain while he was in federal prison in Indiana, and never renounced his faith. He attended the local public high school and after graduating joined the U.S. Army. McVeigh was a decorated veteran of the United States Army, having served in the Gulf War, where he was awarded a Bronze Star Medal. He had been a top scoring gunner with the 25 mm cannon of the lightly armored Bradley Fighting Vehicles used by the U.S. 1st Infantry Division to which he was assigned.

Related Topics:
U.S. Army - Bronze Star Medal - Bradley Fighting Vehicles - U.S. 1st Infantry Division

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Upon leaving the Army, McVeigh worked for a while near his native Pendleton as a security guard. But in the months before the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, he eventually returned to Junction City, which is outside Fort Riley, among other places. His lifestyle grew increasingly transient. Prosecutors said he made the bomb at a lakeside campground near his old Army post. He was seen renting a Ryder truck identified as the one used for the bombing at Elliot's Auto Body in Junction City, and was identified as the main suspect by a motel receipt from the Dreamland Motel in nearby Grandview Plaza. While driving on I-35 in Noble County, Oklahoma, McVeigh was stopped by Charles Hanger, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol man from Pawnee, Oklahoma, for speeding. It was just minutes after the bombing, as McVeigh was racing towards central Kansas in a car with no license plates. He was arrested for driving without a license and carrying a concealed weapon, and almost released before being identified three days later as the subject of a worldwide manhunt.

Related Topics:
I-35 - Noble County, Oklahoma - Oklahoma Highway Patrol - Pawnee, Oklahoma

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In a book based on interviews before his execution, American Terrorist, McVeigh stated he decapitated an Iraqi soldier with cannon fire on his first day in the war, and celebrated. But he said he later was shocked to be ordered to execute surrendering prisoners, and to see carnage on the road leaving Kuwait City after U.S. troops routed the Iraqi army. In interviews following the Oklahoma city bombing, McVeigh said he began harboring anti-government feelings during the Gulf War. Some question the veracity of this claim in light of McVeigh's attempts to become a Green Beret after returning from Iraq.

Related Topics:
American Terrorist - Carnage on the road - Kuwait City - Green Beret

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In the wake of the standoff between federal officials and militiamen at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992, McVeigh said he was further influenced by the 1993 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms raid on the Waco headquaters of the Branch Davidians cult. He visited Waco during the standoff, where he spoke to a news reporter about his anger over what was happening there.

Related Topics:
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms - Branch Davidians

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