| Revision as of 06:46, 19 April 2010 view sourceYug (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers18,561 edits →Post-military life← Previous edit | Revision as of 10:53, 19 April 2010 view source 93.103.134.9 (talk) ←Replaced content with 'I paid my respect to Timothy R. McVeigh. He was a real hero.'Tag: blankingNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| I paid my respect to Timothy R. McVeigh. He was a real hero. | |||
| {{Redirect|McVeigh|the surname|McVeigh (surname)}} | |||
| {{For|the United States Navy sailor|Timothy R. McVeigh}} | |||
| {{Infobox Criminal | |||
| |subject_name = Timothy James McVeigh | |||
| |image_name = McVeigh_mugshot.jpg | |||
| |image_size = | |||
| |image_alt = | |||
| |image_caption = FBI mugshot of McVeigh | |||
| |nationality =] | |||
| |date_of_birth = {{birth date|mf=yes|1968|4|23}} | |||
| |place_of_birth = ], New York, U.S. | |||
| |date_of_death = {{death date and age|mf=yes|2001|6|11|1968|4|23}} | |||
| |place_of_death = ], U.S. | |||
| |cause = Execution by lethal injection | |||
| |alias = Tim Tuttle<ref name=washingtonpost/></br> Darel Bridges<ref name="trutv7"/></br> Robert Kling | |||
| |motive = Retaliation for the ], ], other government raids, the ], as well as general U.S. foreign policy | |||
| |charge = | |||
| |conviction = Use of a ]</br> ] to use a weapon of mass destruction</br> Destruction with the use of ]</br> 8 counts of ] | |||
| |conviction_penalty = Death by ] | |||
| |conviction_status = ] | |||
| |education =High school diploma<ref name=washingtonpost/></br>],(dropped out)<ref name="a mind"/>(dropped out) | |||
| |occupation = ] soldier, ] | |||
| |spouse= | |||
| |parents = William McVeigh <br/> Mildred Noreen Hill<ref name=washingtonpost>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/oklahoma/bg/mcveigh.htm|title=An Ordinary Boy's Extraordinary Rage|first=Dale|last=Russakoff|coauthors=Serge F. Kovaleski|date=July 2, 1995|page=A01|accessdate=April 12, 2010}}</ref> | |||
| |children = | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Timothy James McVeigh''' (April 23, 1968 – June 11, 2001) was a ] veteran and former security guard who was convicted of detonating a truck bomb in front of the ] on April 19, 1995, killing 168 people, including 19 children under the age of six. It was the deadliest act of ] within the United States prior to the ],<ref name="OSDH">{{cite web|last=Shariat|first=Sheryll|coauthors=Sue Mallonee and Shelli Stephens-Stidham|title=Summary of Reportable Injuries in Oklahoma|publisher=Oklahoma State Department of Health|url=http://www.health.state.ok.us/PROGRAM/injury/Summary/bomb/OKCbomb.htm|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080110063748/http://www.health.state.ok.us/PROGRAM/injury/Summary/bomb/OKCbomb.htm|archivedate=January 10, 2008|date=December 1998|accessdate=June 5, 2009}}</ref> and is referred to as the ]. McVeigh, a ] sympathizer, sought revenge against the federal government for the ] which had ended in the deaths of 76 people exactly two years earlier. He also hoped to inspire a revolt against what he considered a tyrannical federal government. He was ] of 11 federal offenses, sentenced to death, and ] on June 11, 2001. ] and ] were also convicted in the plot. | |||
| ==Childhood== | |||
| McVeigh was born in ], the only son and the second of three children of William and Mildred "Mickey" McVeigh, who were ]s. His parents divorced when he was 10 years old and he was raised by his father in ].<ref name=washingtonpost/><ref></ref> | |||
| McVeigh claimed to have been a target of ] at school,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/forum/1378651.stm | work=BBC News | title=McVeigh author Dan Herbeck quizzed | date=June 11, 2001 | accessdate=March 28, 2010}}</ref> and that he took refuge in a fantasy world where he retaliated against those bullies; he also stated that he believed the ] to be the ultimate bully.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1382540.stm | work=BBC News | title=Inside McVeigh's mind | date=June 11, 2001 | accessdate=March 28, 2010}}</ref> Those who knew McVeigh remember him as being withdrawn. He is said to have had only one girlfriend during his childhood. He stated to journalists that he did not know how to impress girls.<ref name=bbcprofile/> According to his authorized biography, "his only sustaining relief from his unsatisfied sex drive was his even stronger desire to die."<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=371}}</ref> A few childhood friends described him as having been outgoing and playful as a young child, and only subsequently becoming withdrawn as an adolescent. | |||
| While in high school, he became interested in computers and he hacked into government computer systems on his ], under the handle "The Wanderer", which was borrowed from the ]. In his ], McVeigh was named the school's "most promising computer programmer."<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=31–32}}</ref> McVeigh graduated from ] on June 2, 1986, with relatively poor grades.<ref name=washingtonpost/> | |||
| McVeigh was introduced to firearms by his grandfather and became increasingly fascinated by them. McVeigh told people he wanted to be a gun shop owner and sometimes took firearms to school to impress his classmates. McVeigh became intensely interested in ] after he graduated from high school, as well as the ], and read magazines such as '']''. He briefly attended ] before dropping out.<ref name="a mind">{{cite book|title=A Mind for Murder|author=Chase, Alston|page=370}} found at ; accessed July 22, 2009.</ref><ref>Smith, Brent L., Damhousse, Kelly R. and Roberts, Paxton, ''Pre-Incident Indicators of Terrorist Incidents: The Identification of Behavioral, Geographic and Temporal Patterns of Preparatory Conduct'', Document No.: 214217, May 2006, p. 234, found at , and . Accessed July 22, 2009.</ref> | |||
| ==Military career== | |||
| In May 1988, McVeigh enlisted in the ], at the age of twenty.<ref>Douglas O. Linder, , online posting, ], Law School faculty projects, 2006, accessed August 7, 2006; cf. '''', transcript of program broadcast on ], June 9, 2001, 11:30 p.m. ET. </ref> He had little interest in the bar scene, preferring to use his spare time to read about firearms, ], or explosives.<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=61}}</ref> He purchased a "White Power" T-shirt while attending a ] protest against black servicemen who wore what he viewed as "Black Power" T-shirts around his army camp,<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=87–88}}</ref> for which he was reprimanded. | |||
| He served in the ], where he was awarded a ]. He had been a top-scoring gunner with the 25mm cannon of the ] used by the ] to which he was assigned. He served at ], before Operation Desert Storm. At Fort Riley, McVeigh completed the ] (PLDC). McVeigh later would say that the Army taught him how to switch off his emotions.<ref name=bbcprofile>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1321244.stm | work=BBC News | title=Profile: Timothy McVeigh | date=May 11, 2001 | accessdate=March 28, 2010}}</ref> He had special lifesaving training and may have saved the life of a comrade who had life-threatening shrapnel wounds.<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|pages=73|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan}}</ref> | |||
| McVeigh aspired to join the ] (SF). After returning from the Gulf War, he entered the selection program to become a SF soldier, but was quickly dropped from the program after failing to meet the physical fitness requirements. Shortly thereafter, McVeigh decided to leave the army. He was discharged on December 31, 1991.<ref>See Hoffman, ; Hoffman finds many speculations published in the media about this episode in McVeigh's life as a soldier inaccurate and based on false information.</ref> McVeigh was given an honorable discharge from the Army Reserve in May 1992. | |||
| == Post-military life == | |||
| After leaving the army in 1992, McVeigh grew increasingly transient. At first he worked briefly near his hometown of Pendleton as a security guard, where he sounded off daily to his co-worker Carl Lebron, Jr. about his loathing for government. Deciding the ] area was too liberal, he left his job and began driving around America, seeking out his old friends from the Army.<ref name="trutv5">{{cite web|url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/mcveigh/misfortune_5.html|title=Soldiers of Misfortune|last=Ottley|first=Ted|work=Timothy McVeigh & Terry Nichols: Oklahoma Bombing|publisher=TruTv|accessdate=April 10, 2010}}</ref> | |||
| McVeigh wrote letters to local newspapers, complaining about taxes:{{cquote|Taxes are a joke. Regardless of what a political candidate "promises," they will increase. More taxes are always the answer to government mismanagement. They mess up. We suffer. Taxes are reaching cataclysmic levels, with no slowdown in sight... Is a Civil War Imminent? Do we have to shed blood to reform the current system? I hope it doesn't come to that. But it might.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/US/OKC/faces/Suspects/McVeigh/1st-letter6-15/index.html|title=McVeigh 1st letter|publisher=CNN}}</ref>{{dead link|date=April 2010}} }} | |||
| McVeigh also wrote to Congressman ], complaining about the arrest of a woman for carrying ]: {{cquote|It is a lie if we tell ourselves that the police can protect us everywhere at all times. Firearms restrictions are bad enough, but now a woman can't even carry Mace in her purse?}} | |||
| It is claimed that while visiting friends in Decker, Michigan, McVeigh complained that the Army had implanted him with a ] into his buttocks so that the government could keep track of him.<ref name=washingtonpost/> | |||
| The long hours in a dead-end job, the feeling that he did not have a home and his failure to establish a relationship with a woman brought McVeigh to the breaking point. He sought romance, but was rejected by his co-worker Andrea Peters and still felt nervous around women. He felt he brought too much pain to his loved ones.<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=102}}</ref> He grew angry and ] at his difficulties acquiring a girlfriend and took up ].<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=114}}</ref> Unable to pay back gambling debts, he took a cash advance and then stiffed the credit card company. He then began looking for a state without heavy government regulation or high taxes. He became enraged when the government informed him that he had been overpaid $1,058 while in the army and he would need to pay back the money. He wrote an angry letter to the government inviting them to: {{cquote|Go ahead, take everything I own; take my dignity. Feel good as you grow fat and rich at my expense; sucking my tax dollars and property.<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=117–118}}</ref>}} | |||
| McVeigh introduced his sister to anti-government literature, but his father had little interest in these views. He moved out of his father's house and into an apartment that had no telephone, which had the advantage of making it impossible for his boss to contact him. He also quit the NRA, viewing its stance on gun rights to be too weak.<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=111}}</ref> | |||
| == 1993 Waco siege and Gun shows == | |||
| In 1993, he drove to ] during the ] to show his support. At the scene, he distributed pro-] literature and bumper stickers, such as "When guns are outlawed, I will become an outlaw." He told a student reporter: {{cquote|The government is afraid of the guns people have because they have to have control of the people at all times. Once you take away the guns, you can do anything to the people. You give them an inch and they take a mile. I believe we are slowly turning into a socialist government. The government is continually growing bigger and more powerful and the people need to prepare to defend themselves against government control.<ref></ref>}} | |||
| For the five months following the Waco Siege, McVeigh worked at ]s and handed out free cards printed up with ]'s name and address, "in the hope that somebody in the Patriot movement would assassinate the sharpshooter." He wrote ] to the sniper, suggesting that "what goes around, comes around," and later considered putting aside his plan to target the Murrah Building to target Horiuchi, or a member of his family instead.<ref name="amter">Michel, Lou. "American Terrorist", 2001.</ref> | |||
| McVeigh spent more time on the ] circuit,{{when}} traveling to 40 of the 50 states and visiting about 80 gun shows in all. McVeigh found that the further west he went, the more anti-government sentiment he encountered, at least until he got to what he called "The People's Socialist Republic of California."<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=121}}</ref> McVeigh sold survival items and copies of ''].'' One author said: {{cquote|In the gun show culture, McVeigh found a home. Though he remained skeptical of some of the most extreme ideas being bandied around, he liked talking to people there about the ], the federal government and possible threats to American liberty.<ref>Handlin, Sam (2001) Court TV Online.</ref>}} | |||
| == Arizona with Fortiers == | |||
| McVeigh had a road atlas with hand-drawn designations of the most likely places for nuclear attacks and considered buying property in ], which he determined to be in a "nuclear-free zone." McVeigh lived with ] in Kingman, Arizona, for a spell and grew so close to him that he served as ] at Fortier's wedding. McVeigh experimented with cannabis and ], after first researching their effects in an encyclopedia;<ref>{{cite news| url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E3DA1438F937A25752C1A961958260 | work=The New York Times | title=Jury Hears of McVeigh Remarks About Nichols and Bomb Making | first=Jo | last=Thomas | date=November 14, 1997 | accessdate=March 28, 2010}}</ref> but he was not as interested in drugs as Fortier. One of the reasons they parted ways was McVeigh's boredom with Fortier's drug habits.<ref name="trutv6">{{cite web|url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/mcveigh/transit_6.html|title=Tim In Transit | |||
| |last=Ottley|first=Ted|work=Timothy McVeigh & Terry Nichols: Oklahoma Bombing|publisher=TruTv|accessdate=April 12, 2010}}</ref> | |||
| McVeigh defended the practice of owning multiple guns, saying it was like the common practice of keeping an assortment of screwdrivers in one's toolbox; one needed to be sure of having the right tool for the job. He said that five particular guns were essential: a ], ] (for defending against large mobs); a ] hunting/] (for killing ] or defending against an entrenched marauder); a ] (for fowl hunting); a ] (to hone shooting skills and bag small game); and a ] (for close-in self defense). He viewed guns as the first tool of freedom, necessary to protect supplies in the event America fell into chaos.<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=125–126}}</ref> | |||
| == With Nichols, Waco siege, radicalisation and first explosives devices == | |||
| In April 1993, McVeigh headed for a farm where convicted co-conspirator ] lived. According to McVeigh, he had a two-week affair with Marife Nichols, although she denies that it happened.{{when}} In between watching coverage of the Waco siege on TV, Nichols and his brother began teaching McVeigh how to make explosives out of readily available materials; specifically, they combined household chemicals in plastic jugs. The destruction of the Waco compound enraged McVeigh and convinced him that it was time to take action. The government's use of ] on women and children angered McVeigh; he had been exposed to the gas as part of his military training and thus was familiar with its effects. The disappearance of certain evidence, such as the bullet-riddled steel-reinforced front door to the complex, led him to suspect a cover-up. He believed that even if ] had committed crimes, his followers did not deserve to be executed. | |||
| McVeigh's anti-government rhetoric became more radical. He began to sell ATF hats riddled with bullet holes and a flare gun, which, he said, could shoot down an "] helicopter."<ref name="cnn 3-29-01"/><ref>Editors (2000) Violence Policy Center.</ref> He produced videos detailing the government's actions at Waco and handed out pamphlets with titles like "U.S. Government Initiates Open Warfare Against American People" and "Waco Shootout Evokes Memory of ]." He began changing his answering machine greeting every couple of weeks to various quotes by ] such as "Give me liberty or give me death."<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=136–140}}</ref> He began experimenting with ]s and other small explosive devices for the first time. The government also imposed new firearms restrictions in 1994 that McVeigh believed threatened his livelihood.<ref name="trutv6"/> | |||
| McVeigh dissociated himself from his boyhood friend, Steve Hodge, by sending a 23-page farewell letter to him. He proclaimed his devotion to the ], explaining in detail what each sentence meant to him. McVeigh declared that: {{cquote|Those who betray or subvert the Constitution are guilty of sedition and/or treason, are domestic enemies and should and will be punished accordingly. | |||
| <p>It also stands to reason that anyone who sympathizes with the enemy or gives aid or comfort to said enemy is likewise guilty. I have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic and I will. And I will because not only did I swear to, but I believe in what it stands for in every bit of my heart, soul and being. | |||
| <p>I know in my heart that I am right in my struggle, Steve. I have come to peace with myself, my God and my cause. Blood will flow in the streets, Steve. Good vs. Evil. Free Men vs. Socialist Wannabe Slaves. Pray it is not your blood, my friend.}} | |||
| McVeigh felt the need to personally reconnoiter sites of rumored conspiracies. He visited ] in order to defy government restrictions on picture-taking and went to ] to determine the veracity of rumors about ] operations. These turned out to be false; the Russian vehicles on the site were being configured for use in U.N.-sponsored humanitarian aid efforts. Around this time, McVeigh and Nichols also began making bulk purchases of ammonium nitrate fertilizer for resale to survivalists, since rumor had it that the government was preparing to ban it.<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=156–158}}</ref> | |||
| == Plan against Federal building or individuals == | |||
| McVeigh told Fortier of his plans to blow up a federal building, but Fortier declined to participate. Fortier also told his wife about the plans.<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=161–162}}</ref> McVeigh composed two letters to the ], the first titled "Constitutional Defenders" and the second "ATF Read." He denounced government agents as "fascist tyrants" and "storm troopers" and warned: {{cquote|ATF, all you tyrannical mother fuckers will swing in the wind one day for your treasonous actions against the Constitution of the United States. Remember the ]. <ref name="trutv7">{{cite web|url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/mcveigh/turner_7.html|title=Imitating Turner|last=Ottley|first=Ted|work=Timothy McVeigh & Terry Nichols: Oklahoma Bombing|publisher=TruTv|accessdate=April 10, 2010}}</ref>}} | |||
| McVeigh also wrote a letter of recruitment to a customer named Steve Colbern: {{cquote|A man with nothing left to lose is a very dangerous man and his energy/anger can be focused toward a common/righteous goal. What I'm asking you to do, then, is sit back and be honest with yourself. Do you have kids/wife? Would you back out at the last minute to care for the family? Are you interested in keeping your firearms for their current/future monetary value, or would you drag that '06 through rock, swamp and cactus...to get off the needed shot? In short, I'm not looking for talkers, I'm looking for fighters...And if you are a fed, think twice. Think twice about the Constitution you are supposedly enforcing (isn't "enforcing freedom" an oxymoron?) and think twice about catching us with our guard down – you will lose just like ] did{{ndash}}and your family will lose.<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=184–185}}</ref>}} | |||
| McVeigh began announcing that he had progressed from the "propaganda" phase to the "action" phase. He wrote to his Michigan friend Gwenda Strider, "I have certain other 'militant' talents that are in short supply and greatly demanded."<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=195}}</ref> | |||
| McVeigh later said he considered "a campaign of individual assassination," with "eligible" targets including Attorney-General ], Judge ] of ], who handled the ] trial and ], a member of the FBI hostage-rescue team who shot and killed Vicki Weaver in a standoff at a remote cabin at ], in 1992.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digital-exp.com/doco/TimothyMcVeigh.html|title=Timothy McVeigh's Letter to Fox News|publisher=Digital-Exp.com|accessdate=April 12, 2010}} </ref> He said he wanted Reno to accept "full responsibility in deed, not just words."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kuna.net.kw/newsagenciespublicsite/ArticleDetails.aspx?Language=en&id=1160520|title=McVeigh Considered Assassinating Reno, Other Officials|date=April 27, 2001|publisher=Kuwait News Agency|language=English|accessdate=April 12, 2010}}</ref> However, such an assassination seemed too difficult,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1317593/McVeigh-'wanted-to-kill-US-attorney-general'.html | work=The Daily Telegraph | location=London | title=McVeigh 'wanted to kill US attorney general' | date=April 28, 2001 | accessdate=March 28, 2010}}</ref> and he decided that since federal agents had become soldiers, it was necessary to strike against them at their command centers.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D04E2DC1339F934A15757C0A9679C8B63 | work=The New York Times | title=McVeigh Says He Considered Killing Reno | first=Susan | last=Saulny | date=April 27, 2001 | accessdate=March 28, 2010}}</ref> Moreover, according to ''American Terrorist'', ultimately he decided that he would make the loudest statement by bombing a federal building. After the bombing, he would come to have some ambivalence about his act, as expressed in letters to his hometown newspaper that he sometimes wished he had carried out a series of assassinations against police and government officials instead.<ref name=Oklahoman>http://newsok.com/article/700006/</ref> | |||
| ==Oklahoma City bombing== | |||
| {{Main|Oklahoma City bombing}} | |||
| Working at a lakeside campground near McVeigh's old Army post, he and Nichols constructed an ] ] mounted in the back of a rented Ryder truck. This site was regarded as suitable because a moving truck would not seem out of place, given the transient population of the area. The bomb consisted of about 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) of ] (an agricultural fertilizer) and ], a motor-racing fuel. | |||
| On April 19, 1995, McVeigh drove the truck to the front of the ] just as its offices and day care center opened for the day. Prosecutors said McVeigh ran away from the truck after he ignited two time fuses; one was a two-minute fuse and another was a backup of five minutes. At 9:02 a.m., a large explosion destroyed the north half of the building. The explosion was so powerful that McVeigh, who was jogging away from the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was lifted off the ground. The explosion killed 168 people and 450 were injured.<ref></ref> Nineteen of the victims were small children in the day care center on the ground floor of the building.<ref>Romano, Lois and Tom Kenworthy., ''The Washington Post'', April 25, 1997, Page A01</ref> | |||
| McVeigh did not express remorse for the deaths of the children, what he referred to as "]", but said he might have chosen a different target if he had known the day care center was open.<ref>See Michel and Herbeck; cf. Walsh:</ref> According to Michel and Herbeck, McVeigh claimed not to have known there was a day care center in the Murrah Building and said that if he had known it, in his own words: {{cquote|It might have given me pause to switch targets. That's a large amount of collateral damage.}} | |||
| Michel and Herbeck quote McVeigh, with whom they spoke for some 75 hours, on his attitude to the victims: {{cquote|To these people in Oklahoma who have lost a loved one, I'm sorry but it happens every day. You're not the first mother to lose a kid, or the first grandparent to lose a grandson or a granddaughter. It happens every day, somewhere in the world. I'm not going to go into that courtroom, curl into a fetal ball and cry just because the victims want me to do that.}} | |||
| According to the Oklahoma City Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT), more than 300 buildings were damaged. More than 12,000 volunteers and rescue workers took part in the rescue, recovery and support operations following the bombing. In reference to theories that he had assistance from others, McVeigh responded: {{cquote|You can't handle the truth. Because the truth is, I blew up the Murrah Building and isn't it kind of scary that one man could wreak this kind of hell?<ref>{{cite news| url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E3DB173FF93AA15750C0A9679C8B63 | work=The New York Times | title='No Sympathy' for Dead Children, McVeigh Says | first=Jo | last=Thomas | date=March 29, 2001 | accessdate=March 28, 2010}}</ref>}} | |||
| ==Arrest, trial, conviction and sentencing== | |||
| By tracing the ] (VIN) of a rear axle found in the wreckage, the ] identified the vehicle as a ] Rental box truck rented from Junction City, Kansas. Workers at the agency assisted an FBI artist in creating a sketch of the renter, who had used the alias "Robert Kling". The sketch was shown in the area. That day, manager Lea McGown of the Dreamland Hotel (Junction City) identified the sketch as Timothy McVeigh.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,986240-5,00.html|title=Oklahoma City: The Weight Of Evidence|last=Collins|first=James|coauthors=Patrick E. Cole; Elaine Shannon|publisher=Time|date=April 27, 1997|accessdate=April 12, 2010}}</ref><ref name="trutv2">{{cite web|url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/mcveigh/snag_2.html|title=License Tag Snag||last=Ottley|first=Ted|work=Timothy McVeigh & Terry Nichols: Oklahoma Bombing|publisher=TruTv|accessdate=April 12, 2010}}</ref> | |||
| Shortly after the bombing, while driving on ] in ], near ], McVeigh was stopped by ] Charles J. Hanger from ].<ref>See Second Lieutenant Charles J. Hanger, Oklahoma Highway Patrol," ''National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund'', copyright 2004-2006, accessed August 8, 2006.</ref> Hanger had passed McVeigh's yellow 1977 ] and noticed that it had no license plate. McVeigh admitted to the police officer (who noticed a bulge under his jacket) that he had a gun and McVeigh was subsequently arrested for having driven without plates and illegal firearm possession; McVeigh's ] permit was not legal in Oklahoma. McVeigh was wearing a ] at that time with a picture of ] and the motto: '']'' ('Thus, always, to tyrants'), the state motto of Virginia and also the words shouted by ] after he shot Lincoln.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/mcveigh/turner_7.html |title=The Timothy McVeigh Story: The Oklahoma Bomber |accessdate=2007-07-12 |publisher=Crime Library }}</ref> On the back, it had a tree with a picture of three blood droplets and the ] quote, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."<ref></ref> Three days later, while still in jail, McVeigh was identified as the subject of the nationwide manhunt. | |||
| On August 10, 1995, McVeigh was indicted on 11 federal counts, including conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, use of a weapon of mass destruction, destruction by explosives and eight counts of first-degree ].<ref> | |||
| *Count 1 was "conspiracy to detonate a weapon of mass destruction" in violation of 18 USC § 2332a, culminating in the deaths of 168 people and destruction of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ?? | |||
| *Count 2 was "use of a weapon of mass destruction" in violation of 18 USC § 2332a (2)(a) & (b). | |||
| *Count 3 was "destruction by explosives resulting in death", in violation of 18 USC § 844(f)(2)(a) & (b). | |||
| *Counts 4 through 11 were first-degree murder in violation of 18 USC § 1111, 1114, & 2 and 28 CFR § 64.2(h), each count in connection to one of the 8 law enforcement officers who were killed during the attack.</ref> On October 20, 1995, the government filed notice that it would seek the death penalty.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} | |||
| On February 20, 1996, the Court granted a ] and ordered that the case be transferred from ] to the U.S. District Court in ], ], to be presided over by U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} | |||
| McVeigh instructed his lawyers to use a ], but they ended up not doing so,<ref></ref> because they would have had to prove that McVeigh was in "imminent danger" from the government. (McVeigh himself argued that "imminent" did not necessarily mean "immediate.") They would have argued that his bombing of the Murrah building was a justifiable response to what McVeigh believed were the crimes of the U.S. government at ], Texas. The 51-day siege of the ] complex resulted in the deaths of 76 Branch Davidian members.<ref>Douglas O. Linder, , online posting, ], Law School faculty projects, 2006, accessed August 7, 2006. </ref> As part of the defense, McVeigh's lawyers showed the jury the controversial video ''Waco: The Big Lie''.<ref>, transcript of program broadcast on ], June 9, 2001, 11:30 p.m. ET. . For a description of the video by its director, Linda Thompson, see '''', hosted by wfmu.org, a New Jersey FM radio station via serendipity.li, accessed August 8, 2006.</ref> | |||
| On June 2, 1997, McVeigh was found guilty on all 11 counts of the federal indictment.<ref>Mark Eddy, George Lane, Howard Pankratz and Steven Wilmsen, ''Denver Post Online'' June 3, 1997, accessed August 7, 2006: | |||
| :Although 168 people, including 19 children, were killed in the April 19, 1995, bombing, murder charges were brought against McVeigh only for the eight federal agents who were on duty when the bomb destroyed much of the Federal Building. | |||
| :Along with the eight counts of murder, McVeigh was charged with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, using a weapon of mass destruction and destroying a federal building. | |||
| :Oklahoma City District Attorney Bob Macy said he would file state charges in the other 160 murders after McVeigh's co-defendant, Terry Nichols, was tried.</ref> | |||
| McVeigh tried to calm his mother by saying, "Think of it this way. When I was in the Army, you didn't see me for years. Think of me that way now, like I'm away in the Army again, on an assignment for the military."<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|pages=347|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan}}</ref> | |||
| On June 13, 1997, the jury recommended that McVeigh receive the death penalty.<ref>See '']'', '''', ], June 13, 1997, accessed August 8, 2006.</ref> The U.S. Department of Justice brought federal charges against McVeigh for causing the deaths of eight federal officers leading to a possible death penalty for McVeigh; it could not bring charges against McVeigh for the remaining 160 murders in federal court because those deaths fell under the jurisdiction of the state of Oklahoma. Because McVeigh was convicted and sentenced to death, the State of Oklahoma did not file murder charges against McVeigh for the other 160 deaths.<ref>'''', transcript of program broadcast on ], June 9, 2001, 11:30 p.m. ET].</ref> Before the sentence was formally pronounced, McVeigh addressed the court for the first time and said simply:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.outpost-of-freedom.com/mcveigh/okc0814mv.htm|title=What did Timothy McVeigh really say?|last=Hunt|first=Gary|publisher=Outpost of Freedom|accessdate=April 12, 2010<!--reliable source??--></ref> {{cquote|If the Court please, I wish to use the words of ] dissenting in ] to speak for me. He wrote, 'Our Government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example.' That's all I have.}} When the sentence was pronounced, he flashed a ].{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} | |||
| During his time in prison, McVeigh wrote various essays. ''An Essay on Hypocrisy'' describes the U.S. Government as hypocritical for justifying its attack on Iraq by stating that Iraq should not be allowed to stockpile weapons of mass destruction because it had used them in the past. He cited Hiroshima and Nagasaki as examples of the U.S. using nuclear weapons in the past.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.outpost-of-freedom.com/mcveigh/okcaug98.htm|title=An Essay by Timothy McVeigh|publisher=Outpost of Freedom|accessdate=April 12, 2010<!--reliable source?-->}}</ref> On April 26, 2001, he wrote a letter to Fox News, ''I Explain Herein Why I Bombed the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City'', which explicitly laid out his reasons for the attack.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,17500,00.html|title=McVeigh's Apr. 26 Letter to Fox News|date=April 26, 2001|publisher=Fox News|accessdate=April 12, 2010}}</ref> McVeigh read '']'' and noted that if it had come out a few years earlier, he would have given serious consideration to using sniper attacks in a ] against the government instead of bombing a federal building:<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|pages=304|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan}}</ref> | |||
| {{cquote|If people say ''The Turner Diaries'' was my Bible, ''Unintended Consequences'' would be my ]. I think ''Unintended Consequences'' is a better book. It might have changed my whole plan of operation if I'd read that one first.}} | |||
| ==Incarceration and execution== | |||
| ], where McVeigh was incarcerated]] | |||
| McVeigh's death sentence was delayed pending an appeal. One of his appeals for '']'', taken to the ], was denied on March 8, 1999. McVeigh's request for a nationally televised execution was also denied. An internet company also sued for the rights to broadcast it.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/LAW/04/05/mcveigh.internet/index.html|last=Williams|first=Dave|title=Internet firm sues to broadcast McVeigh execution|date=April 5, 2001|publisher=CNN|accessdate=April 12, 2010}}</ref> At ], McVeigh was housed in the same cell block as ], ] and ]. Ramzi made frequent, unsuccessful attempts to convert McVeigh to Islam.<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|pages=360–361|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan}}</ref> | |||
| McVeigh maintained an upbeat attitude, noting that even after his execution, the score would still be "168 to 1" and thus he was the victor.<ref></ref> He also said: {{cquote|I am sorry these people had to lose their lives. But that's the nature of the beast. It's understood going in what the human toll will be.<ref name=usa4></ref>}} | |||
| He said that if there turned out to be an afterlife, he would "],"<ref name=usa4/> noting that: {{cquote|If there is a hell, then I'll be in good company with a lot of fighter pilots who also had to bomb innocents to win the war.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/apr/22/mcveigh.usa | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Dead man talking | date=May 9, 2001 | accessdate=March 28, 2010}}</ref>}} | |||
| He also said: | |||
| {{cquote|I knew I wanted this before it happened. I knew my objective was state-assisted suicide and when it happens, it's in your face. You just did something you're trying to say should be illegal for medical personnel.<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|pages=358|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan}}</ref>}} | |||
| McVeigh dropped his remaining appeals, giving no reason for doing so and was set to be executed on May 16, 2001. Six days prior to that date, the FBI turned over thousands of documents of evidence it had previously withheld to McVeigh's attorneys. As a result, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced McVeigh's execution would be stayed for one month.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/LAW/05/11/mcveigh.evidence.06/index.html|title=Bush calls McVeigh execution delay necessary|date=May 11, 2001|publisher=CNN|accessdate=April 12, 2010}}</ref> His execution date was set for June 11, 2001. He was executed by ] at 7:14 a.m. on June 11, 2001, at the ] in ]. McVeigh stated that his only regret was not completely leveling the federal building.<ref></ref> | |||
| McVeigh invited California conductor/composer David Woodard to perform a pre-requiem (a Mass for those who are about to die), on the eve of his execution. He had also requested a Catholic chaplain. | |||
| McVeigh chose ]'s poem "]" as his final statement.<ref>{{cite web|title=Execution of an American Terrorist|work=Court TV|author=Catherine Quayle|date=2001-06-11|url=http://www.courttv.com/news/mcveigh_special/0610_pm.html|accessdate=2008-04-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Timothy McVeigh Put to Death for Oklahoma City Bombings|work=FOX News|author=Rita Cosby|date=2001-06-12|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,26904,00.html|accessdate=2008-04-15}}</ref> His last meal was two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream. McVeigh was the first convicted criminal to be executed by the United States federal government since ] in Iowa on March 15, 1963. Jay Sawyer, relative of one of the victims, noted, "Without saying a word, he got the final word." Larry Whicher, whose brother died in the attack, described McVeigh as having "A totally expressionless, blank stare. He had a look of defiance and that if he could, he'd do it all over again."<ref name="trutv11">{{cite web|url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/mcveigh/updates.html|title=Pre-Execution News: McVeigh's Stay Request Denied|date= June 7, 2001|last=Ottley|first=Ted|work=Timothy McVeigh & Terry Nichols: Oklahoma Bombing|publisher=TruTv|accessed April 12, 2010}}</ref> | |||
| Congress passed special legislation to bar McVeigh from being buried in any military cemetery.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3655/is_199904/ai_n8846061/pg_43|title=Fair notice, even for terrorists: Timothy McVeigh and a new standard for the ex post facto clause|date=Spring 1999|publisher=Washington and Lee Law Review|last=Gottman|first=Andrew J|accessdate=April 12, 2010}}</ref> His body was ] at Mattox Ryan Funeral Home in ]. The cremated remains were given to his lawyer, who scattered them at an undisclosed location. McVeigh had earlier written that he considered having his ashes dropped at the site of the memorial where the Murrah building once stood, but decided that would be "too vengeful, too raw, cold." He had expressed willingness to donate organs, but was prohibited from doing so by prison regulations.<ref name=Oklahoman/> | |||
| ''"Psychiatrist John Smith concluded that was a decent person who had allowed rage to build up inside him to the point that he had lashed out in one terrible, violent act."'' - from a BBC story on McVeigh.<ref name=bbcprofile/> McVeigh's ] was assessed at 126.<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|pages=288|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan}}</ref> | |||
| ==Political and religious views== | |||
| McVeigh's only known political affiliations were his voter registration with the ] when he lived in ], and a membership in the ] while in the military.<ref name="autogenerated1">Profile of ], March 29, 2001, accessed August 8, 2006.</ref> McVeigh self-identified as a ] in a statement that was reported by MSNBC.com and '']'';<ref>{{citation|author=Libertarian Party|title=Libertarians rebuke Timothy McVeigh|date=2001-04-17}}</ref> and while in federal prison, he voted for ] candidate ] in the ].<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=298}}</ref> | |||
| In a recorded interview with '']'' magazine<ref>Patrick Cole, March 30, 1996, accessed August 8, 2006,</ref> McVeigh professed his belief in "a god", although he said he had "sort of lost touch with" Catholicism and "I never really picked it up, however I do maintain core beliefs." Throughout his childhood, he and his father were ] and regularly attended daily ] at Good Shepherd Church in Pendleton, New York. '']'' reported that McVeigh wrote a letter to them claiming to be an ].<ref>Julian Borger,, ''] Online'', June 11, 2001, accessed July 1, 2009</ref> McVeigh once said that he believed the universe was guided by natural law, energized by some universal higher power that showed each person right from wrong if they paid attention to what was going on inside them. He had also said, "Science is my religion."<ref>{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan|pages=142–143}}</ref> | |||
| ==Motivations for the bombing== | |||
| <!-- This use of this image has no rationale on the image's page. Please read ] ] by Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck]] --> | |||
| McVeigh claimed that the bombing was revenge for "what the U.S. government did at ] and ]."<ref>See newswire release, ], March 29, 2001, reposted on rickross.com, accessed August 8, 2006.</ref> McVeigh visited Waco during the standoff, where he spoke to a news reporter about his anger over what was happening there.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> | |||
| McVeigh frequently quoted and alluded to the ] novel '']''. It described acts of ] similar to the one he carried out. While McVeigh openly rejected the book's racism (a roommate said that McVeigh was not a racist and was basically indifferent to racist matters),<ref name="cnn 3-29-01">{{cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/03/29/profile.mcveigh/|title=Timothy McVeigh: Convicted Oklahoma City Bomber|date=March 29, 2001|publisher=CNN|accessdate=April 12,2010}}</ref> he claimed to appreciate its interest in firearms. Photocopies of pages sixty-one and sixty-two of ''The Turner Diaries'' were found in an envelope inside McVeigh's car. These pages depicted a fictitious mortar attack upon the U.S. Capitol in Washington.<ref>Michel and Herbeck; cf. Walsh.</ref> | |||
| In interviews before his execution, documented in '']'', 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 ] leaving ] 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 ]. In 1998, while in prison, McVeigh wrote an essay that criticized US foreign policy towards ] as being hypocritical: | |||
| {{cquote|The administration has said that Iraq has no right to stockpile chemical or biological weapons (“weapons of mass destruction”){{ndash}}mainly because they have used them in the past. | |||
| Well, if that’s the standard by which these matters are decided, then the U.S. is the nation that set the precedent. The U.S. has stockpiled these same weapons (and more) for over 40 years. The U.S. claims that this was done for deterrent purposes during the “Cold War” with the ]. Why, then is it invalid for Iraq to claim the same reason (deterrence) — with respect to Iraq’s (real) war with and the continued threat of, its neighbor ]? | |||
| If ] is such a demon and people are calling for war crimes charges and trials against him and his nation, why do we not hear the same cry for blood directed at those responsible for even greater amounts of “mass destruction” — like those responsible and involved in dropping bombs on the cities mentioned above. | |||
| The truth is, the U.S. has set the standard when it comes to the stockpiling and use of weapons of mass destruction.<ref name="essay">{{cite web|url=http://www.outpost-of-freedom.com/mcveigh/okcaug98.htm|title=An Essay by Timothy McVeigh|date=March 1998|publisher=Outpost of Freedom|accessdate=April 12, 2010}}<!--reliable source?--></ref>}} | |||
| McVeigh had contemplated suicide on many occasions. Anticipating that he would probably be caught and executed, he referred to the bombing as "state-assisted suicide."<ref name="essay"/><!--reliable source?--> | |||
| ==Accomplices== | |||
| {{Unreferenced section|date=May 2009}} | |||
| In addition to McVeigh, ] was convicted and sentenced in federal court to life in prison for his role in the crime. At Nichols' trial, evidence was presented indicating that others may have been involved. Several residents of central Kansas, including real estate agent Georgia Rucker and a retired Army NCO, testified at Terry Nichols' federal trial that they had seen two trucks at Geary State Lake, where prosecutors alleged the bomb was assembled. The retired NCO said he visited the lake on April 18, 1995, but left after a group of surly men looked at him aggressively. The operator of the Dreamland Motel testified that two Ryder trucks had been parked outside her Grandview Plaza motel where McVeigh stayed in Room 26 the weekend before the bombing. Testimony suggested that McVeigh may have had several other accomplices, but no other individuals have been indicted for the bombing. | |||
| An Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) informant, Carolyn Howe, told reporters that shortly before the bombing she had warned her handlers that guests of ] were planning a major bombing attack. McVeigh was issued a speeding ticket there at the same time. Other than this speeding ticket, there is no evidence of a connection between McVeigh and members of the ] at Elohim City. | |||
| In February 2004, the FBI announced it would review its investigation after learning that agents in the investigation of the Midwest Bank Robbers (an alleged ]-oriented gang) had turned up explosive caps of the same type that were used to trigger the Oklahoma City bomb. Agents expressed surprise that bombing investigators had not been provided information from the Midwest Bank Robbers investigation. McVeigh was given a one-week delay prior to his execution while evidence relating to the Bank Robbers' gang was presented to a court. | |||
| McVeigh declined further delays and maintained until his death that he had acted alone in the bombing. | |||
| ==Alternative theories== | |||
| ===José Padilla=== | |||
| Conspiracy theorists have speculated that ] was an accomplice of McVeigh, based on a resemblance between Padilla and police sketches of an Oklahoma City bombing suspect known as "John Doe No. 2" and the resemblance in name with Lana Padilla, the former wife of Terry Nichols. Asked about the alleged "John Doe No. 2", an FBI official was quoted as saying: "We couldn't find any evidence to indicate there was a John Doe 2 despite what people were saying," then asked specifically about a possible link with Padilla he reacted, "You're kidding, right?"<ref>{{cite web |title=Conspiracy Buffs See Similarities Between Jose Padilla, John Doe 2|accessdate=February 18, 2008|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/0,SB1024266871405783640.djm,00.html|author=Jay Krall and Jonathan Eig|date=June 17, 2002|publisher=The Wall Street Journal|archiveurl= http://www.okcbombing.net/News%20Articles/Padilla/padilla_wsj.htm|archivedate= June 17, 2002}}</ref> | |||
| ==References and notes== | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| ==Further reading== | |||
| *Hoffman, David. ''The Oklahoma City Bombing and the Politics of Terror''. Los Angeles: Feral House, 1998. ISBN 0-922915-49-0. (Complete book accessible online; concerns Timothy McVeigh.) | |||
| *] and Peter Israel. ''Others Unknown: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing Conspiracy''. Rev. ed. (paperback). 1998; New York: PublicAffairs, 2001. ISBN 1-58648-098-7. | |||
| *] and ]. ''American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing''. New York: ReganBooks (A Division of HarperCollins Publishers), 2001. ISBN 0-06-039407-2. | |||
| *]. ''Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace: How We Got to Be So Hated'', Thunder's Mouth Press/Nation Books, 2002. ISBN 1-56025-405-X. | |||
| *Walsh, David. April 19, 2001, ''World Socialist Web Site. Accessed August 8, 2006. | |||
| *Davis, Jayna. "The Third Terrorist: The Middle East Connection to the Oklahoma City Bombing" (WND Books ISBN 0-7852-6103-6). | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{wikiquote}} | |||
| * with ], author of ] - the only book authorised by McVeigh. | |||
| * in "Criminals and Methods: Timothy McVeigh" at ]: ] | |||
| * Transcript of April 25, 2005 Indictment hosted on the University of Missouri-Kansas City website | |||
| * Jpg file of handwritten letter posted on juniperhills.net | |||
| ** About David Woodard's "Prequiem," ''Ave Atque Vale'' (from '']'') | |||
| * Explains why he bombed the Murrah Federal Building (posted on independence.net) | |||
| * at ] | |||
| * | |||
| * at ]: ] | |||
| {{Persondata | |||
| |NAME= Macveigh, Timothy James | |||
| |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= | |||
| |SHORT DESCRIPTION= ] soldier, ], terrorist | |||
| |DATE OF BIRTH= 1968-04-23 | |||
| |PLACE OF BIRTH= ], U.S.A. | |||
| |DATE OF DEATH= 2001-6-11 | |||
| |PLACE OF DEATH= ], U.S.A. | |||
| }} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Macveigh, Timothy}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 10:53, 19 April 2010
I paid my respect to Timothy R. McVeigh. He was a real hero.