Oklahoma City Bombing

April 19th, 1995

Summary of the Attack

Worst attack on U.S. soil until 9/11 occurred Act of domestic terrorism When: 9:02 am on April 19th, 1995 The bomb used was a rental truck packed with explosives. Target: Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building (downtown Oklahoma City) Death Toll: 168 people Injured: over 650 people

Perpetrators of the Attack

Terry Nichols

Timothy McVeigh

McVeigh

DOB:4/23/1968 in Lockport, New York Date of Execution: 6/11/01 in Terre Haute, Indiana Summary McVeigh enlisted in the army in 1988 and was a part of Operation Desert Storm. He was then honorably discharged in 1991. After his discharge he would openly speak out against the government and had radical ideals. McVeigh believed firmly in the rights of the Second Amendment and thought that everybody should have a gun to protect themselves against the government. He often wrote letters to newspapers and even politicians that expressed his views.

Nichols

DOB: 4/1/1955 in Lapeer Michigan Was not executed but is currently sitting in prison Summary Nichols, like McVeigh, joined the joined the U.S. Army in 1988. This is where he met his partner in crime, Timothy McVeigh. Nichols held a number of short term jobs that he couldnt keep down including farming, a real estate salesman, ranch hand, and grain elevator manager. Nichols began to start agreeing with McVeighs anti government ideals and soon put them into action.

Motivation for the Attack

Both of the perpetrators were against the government and disliked the direction in which America was going. The action that set off McVeigh though was the raid on the Branch Davidian Complex in Waco, Texas. The FBI tried gassing the complex, which turned out to be a mistake. The complex went up in flames and killed 75 people, many of which were children. Many people, including McVeigh, blamed the government for the event. This put him over the edge and he then turned to violence to seek revenge for the events. He wanted to get back at the government. This is why he planned the target of the bombing to be the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. This building contained many federal agency buildings.

Outcome of the Attack

The attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Building in downtown Oklahoma City was the worst attack on U.S. soil until the September 11th attack. The rental truck that was detonated blew off the buildings north wall, as seen in the picture below. The rescue crews did what they could and some even came from across the country. The search for survivors continued for two weeks until it was called off. After that the death toll stood at 168 people, 19 of which were young children. The daycare center was heavily hit. Over 650 people were injured and also 300 buildings were damaged as a result of the attack. McVeigh was caught a few hours later and charged with a unlawful possession of a gun.

Response to the Attack

Rescuers from the Oklahoma City Fire Department were some of the first responders and went into the building not knowing whether or not the building would collapse. Within five hours of the attack there were search-and-rescue task force that was deployed from FEMA. There first task was to use the search the nursery, which was on the second floor, for victims. Later they came in with search dogs to look for survivors. These dogs were trained to bark if they found any survivors. No dogs barked that entire night.

Clintons Response

Works Cited
"Bad Day Dawning." Timothy McVeigh & Terry Nichols: Oklahoma Bombing Crime Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. "Oklahoma City Bombing." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. <http://www.history.com/topics/oklahoma-city-bombing>. "Terror Hits Home: The Oklahoma City Bombing." FBI. FBI, 21 May 2010. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. <http://www.fbi.gov/aboutus/history/famous-cases/oklahoma-city-bombing>. "Terry Nichols Bio." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. "Timothy McVeigh Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.