Oklahoma City Bombing

Oklahoma City Bombing

The Oklahoma City bombing took place on April 19, 1995, it was a domestic terrorist attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building which is a U.S. government office complex located in downtown Oklahoma City. It's said to be the largest of domestic attacks, in our nation's history and before September 11th, it was the largest of all terrorist attacks.

A rented Ryder truck was across the street, on the morning of the 19th. Inside it, were 5,000 pounds of explosives. The bomb contained ammonium nitrate and nitromethane, so powerful that the effects of the bomb going off, could be felt 30 miles away from the scene.

A man by the name of Timothy McVeigh, whom was a Gulf War veteran, was arrested just minutes after the explosion when he was pulled over for driving without a license plate. At the man's trial, the U.S government came to the conclusion that the motiviation for the bombing was to avenge the deaths of Branch Davidians and Ruby Ridge, who McVeigh believed were murdered by federal agents of the government. The date on which the bombing took place, was purposely chosen to coincide with the American Revolutionary War and one day before Adolf Hitler's 106th birthday anniversary, representing a date for very bold actions.

Michale Fortier was found to be an accomplice and key informant and was punished with twelve years in prison and a fine of $200,000 on May 27, 1998. He was released on January 20, 2006 because of his good behavior. McVeigh was sentenced to death by lethal injection at a penitentiary in Indiana on June 11, 2001. Another accomplice, Terry Nichols was sentend to life in pison. His brother, was also accused of taking part, but because of lack of evidence, he was released.

The effect on the city was tragic. Besides the death toll of 168, which included 19 children, over 800 people were injured. Over 300 buildings in the area were either severely

damaged, or completely destroyed, leaving people homeless and without jobs. More than one-third of the half million people living in Oklahoma knew someone who was killed or injured in the bombing and over 12,000 people helped in the relief efforts immediately following the bombing, most developing post-traumatic stress disorder as a result.

The building that stood shattered and damaged, was then demolished, making way for a memorial to remember the lives