Oklahoma city bombing
At 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, a 5,000-pound bomb, hidden inside a Ryder truck, exploded just outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The explosion caused massive damage to the building and killed 168 people, 19 of whom were children. Those responsible for what became known as the Oklahoma City Bombing were home-grown terrorists, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. This deadly bombing was the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil until the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack.
McVeigh, angered by the Waco tragedy, decided to enact retribution to those he felt responsible -- the federal government, especially the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). In downtown Oklahoma City, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building held numerous federal agency offices, including those of the ATF.
Planning his revenge for the second anniversary of the Waco disaster, McVeigh enlisted his friend Terry Nichols and several others to help him pull off his plan. In September 1994, McVeigh purchased large amounts of fertilizer (ammonium nitrate) and then stored it in a rented shed in Herington, Kansas. The ammonium nitrate was the main ingredient for the bomb. McVeigh and Nichols stole other supplies needed to complete the bomb from a quarry in Marion, Kansas.
On April 17, 1995, McVeigh rented a Ryder truck and then McVeigh and Nichols loaded the Ryder truck with approximately 5,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. On the morning of April 19th, McVeigh drove the Ryder truck to the Murrah Federal Building, lit the bomb's fuse, parked in front of the building, left the keys inside the truck and locked the door, then walked across the parking lot to an alley, then started to jog.
Ninety minutes after the explosion, McVeigh was pulled over by a highway patrol officer for driving without a license plate but when the officer discovered that McVeigh had an unregistered gun, he arrested him on a firearms charge.
Before McVeigh was released, his ties to the explosion were discovered. Unfortunately for McVeigh, almost all his purchases and rental agreements related to the bombing could be traced back to him after the explosion. On June 3, 1997, McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy and on August 15, 1997 he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. On June 11, 2001, McVeigh was executed.
Nichols was brought in for questioning two days after the blast and then arrested for his role in McVeigh's plan. On December 24, 1997, a federal jury found Nichols guilty and on June 5, 1998 Nichols was sentenced to life in prison. In March 2004, Nichols went on trial for murder charges by the state of Oklahoma.
A third accomplice, Michael Fortier, who testified against McVeigh and Nichols, received a 12-year prison sentence and was fined $200,000 on May 27, 1998 for knowing about the plan but not informing authorities before the explosion.
What little remained of the Murrah Federal Building was demolished on May 23, 1995. In 2000, a memorial was built on the location to remember the tragedy of the Oklahoma City Bombing.
The media was able to provide television coverage for this and it showed America the first bombing terrorist attack of it time. This impacted America in many different ways.
How has this person made an impact on my life today? Or the world in which I live?
This person that made this bomb and destroyed the building in Oklahoma City impacted the U.S. in many ways. Because of him the government is able to track what people are buying if they think the product may be a threat to the society. They will alert officers in the surrounding area to go check it out and make sure that they aren't building a bomb or a thing that could hurt other people. Officers are also a lot more suspicious today then they used to be. So they are profiling people a lot more than they did back then. We also take a lot more safety precautions today than we did back then. They put up a lot more cement barricades around big buildings and a lot of no parking zones.
McVeigh, angered by the Waco tragedy, decided to enact retribution to those he felt responsible -- the federal government, especially the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). In downtown Oklahoma City, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building held numerous federal agency offices, including those of the ATF.
Planning his revenge for the second anniversary of the Waco disaster, McVeigh enlisted his friend Terry Nichols and several others to help him pull off his plan. In September 1994, McVeigh purchased large amounts of fertilizer (ammonium nitrate) and then stored it in a rented shed in Herington, Kansas. The ammonium nitrate was the main ingredient for the bomb. McVeigh and Nichols stole other supplies needed to complete the bomb from a quarry in Marion, Kansas.
On April 17, 1995, McVeigh rented a Ryder truck and then McVeigh and Nichols loaded the Ryder truck with approximately 5,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. On the morning of April 19th, McVeigh drove the Ryder truck to the Murrah Federal Building, lit the bomb's fuse, parked in front of the building, left the keys inside the truck and locked the door, then walked across the parking lot to an alley, then started to jog.
Ninety minutes after the explosion, McVeigh was pulled over by a highway patrol officer for driving without a license plate but when the officer discovered that McVeigh had an unregistered gun, he arrested him on a firearms charge.
Before McVeigh was released, his ties to the explosion were discovered. Unfortunately for McVeigh, almost all his purchases and rental agreements related to the bombing could be traced back to him after the explosion. On June 3, 1997, McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy and on August 15, 1997 he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. On June 11, 2001, McVeigh was executed.
Nichols was brought in for questioning two days after the blast and then arrested for his role in McVeigh's plan. On December 24, 1997, a federal jury found Nichols guilty and on June 5, 1998 Nichols was sentenced to life in prison. In March 2004, Nichols went on trial for murder charges by the state of Oklahoma.
A third accomplice, Michael Fortier, who testified against McVeigh and Nichols, received a 12-year prison sentence and was fined $200,000 on May 27, 1998 for knowing about the plan but not informing authorities before the explosion.
What little remained of the Murrah Federal Building was demolished on May 23, 1995. In 2000, a memorial was built on the location to remember the tragedy of the Oklahoma City Bombing.
The media was able to provide television coverage for this and it showed America the first bombing terrorist attack of it time. This impacted America in many different ways.
How has this person made an impact on my life today? Or the world in which I live?
This person that made this bomb and destroyed the building in Oklahoma City impacted the U.S. in many ways. Because of him the government is able to track what people are buying if they think the product may be a threat to the society. They will alert officers in the surrounding area to go check it out and make sure that they aren't building a bomb or a thing that could hurt other people. Officers are also a lot more suspicious today then they used to be. So they are profiling people a lot more than they did back then. We also take a lot more safety precautions today than we did back then. They put up a lot more cement barricades around big buildings and a lot of no parking zones.
This is where the Oklahoma City Bombing took place in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.