On this date, April 19, 1995,about 168 people were killed in the Oklahoma City Bombing. Let us
not forget those innocent lives lost. We will post information from Wikipedia.
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Panoramic view of the Oklahoma City National Memorial
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The Oklahoma City bombing was a
domestic terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown
Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It would remain the most destructive act
of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The
Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19 children under the age of 6, and
injured more than 680 people. The blast destroyed or damaged 324 buildings
within a sixteen-block radius, destroyed or burned 86 cars, and shattered
glass in 258 nearby buildings. The bomb was estimated to have caused at
least $652 million worth of damage. Extensive rescue efforts were
undertaken by local, state, federal, and worldwide agencies in the wake of the
bombing, and substantial donations were received from across the country. The Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) activated eleven of its Urban Search and
Rescue Task Forces, consisting of 665 rescue workers who assisted in
rescue and recovery operations.
Within 90 minutes of the
explosion, Timothy McVeigh was stopped by Oklahoma State
Trooper Charlie Hanger for driving without a license plate and arrested for
unlawfully carrying a weapon. Forensic evidence quickly linked McVeigh and Terry
Nichols to the attack; Nichols was arrested, and within days both were
charged. Michael and Lori Fortier were later identified as accomplices.
McVeigh, an American militia movement sympathizer who was a Gulf War veteran,
had detonated an explosive-filled Ryder rental truck parked in front of the
building. McVeigh's co-conspirator, Terry Nichols, had assisted in the bomb
preparation. Motivated by his hatred of the federal government and angered by
what he perceived as its mishandling of the Waco Siege (1993) and the Ruby
Ridge incident (1992), McVeigh timed his attack to coincide with the second
anniversary of the deadly fire that ended the siege at Waco.
The official investigation, known as
"OKBOMB", was the largest criminal investigation case in American
history; FBI agents conducted 28,000 interviews, amassing 3.5 short tons
(3.2 t) of evidence, and collected nearly one billion pieces of
information. The bombers were tried and convicted in 1997. McVeigh was executed
by lethal injection on June 11, 2001, and
Nichols was sentenced to life
in prison. Michael and Lori Fortier testified against McVeigh and Nichols;
Michael was sentenced to 12 years in prison for failing to warn the U.S.
government, and Lori received immunity from prosecution in exchange for her
testimony. As with other large-scale terrorist attacks, conspiracy theories
dispute the official claims and allege the involvement of additional
perpetrators.
As a result of the bombing, the U.S.
government passed the Antiterrorism and
Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, which tightened the standards for habeas
corpus in the United States, as well as legislation designed to increase the
protection around federal buildings to deter future terrorist attacks. On
April 19, 2000, the Oklahoma City National Memorial was
dedicated on the site of the Murrah Federal Building, commemorating the victims
of the bombing. Annual remembrance services are held at the same time of day as
the original explosion occurred.
To Learn more please
go to this link:
Please go to this Blog to see the article from Don Feder.
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