Timothy McVeigh

Timothy James McVeigh (April 23, 1968 – June 11, 2001) was a former member of the United States Army and a security guard who was responsible for the Oklahoma City Bombing. The bombing - which up until 9/11 was the deadliest act of terrorism on American soil - killed 168 men, women, and children and injured many more. The bombing was motivated out of vengeance for the US government's involvement in the Ruby Ridge and Waco massacres.

A shy, withdrawn young man McVeigh became interested in computers and was considered his high school's most promising computer programmer. Following graduation he enlisted in the Army where he served in Desert Storm and earned the Bronze Star. In his spare time McVeigh studied explosive and sniper training materials. During his time in the army he was reprimanded for purchasing a white power t-shirt in response to Black soldiers wearing similar Black supremacy t-shirt. McVeigh tried to join the special forces but washed out of training, and then decided to leave the Army.

After his stint in the army he became a security guard and fell into a transient lifestyle. During this time he became increasingly extreme in his views and fell into financial difficulties. He quit the NRA because he felt it was too weak on gun rights.

In the aftermath of the Ruby Ridge and Waco standoffs, McVeigh decided to take action against the government. He considered a campaign of assassination against government officials, but instead decided to target a Federal building.

McVeigh placed a Ryder truck laden with explosives underneath the daycare of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. At 9:02am on April 19, 1995 the bomb detonated, destroying the building, killing 168, and wounding hundreds more.

Arrested shortly after the bombing, McVeigh was charged with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, use of said weapon of mass destruction, destruction by explosives, and eight counts of first-degree murder. McVeigh was found guilty of all 11 counts and sentenced to death. Upon being connected to the Oklahoma City bombing, told police he did not want what happened to Oswald to happen to him.

At first McVeigh was imprisoned at the ADX Florence Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. McVeigh was later moved to the prison at Terre Haute, Indiana due to it being the location of the Federal male death row and the site of the Federal execution chamber.

After appeals were dropped by McVeigh an execution date of May 16. However just before the execution the FBI revealed a lot of paperwork it had withheld from McVeigh's lawyers before. The government stayed the execution for just under one month as a result to give all parties time to review the paperwork.

On June 11, 2001, McVeigh was strapped into the gurney in the Terre Haute execution chamber. McVeigh stated his only regret was that the Murrah Building wasn't completely leveled by his bomb. At 7:14am central time McVeigh was pronounced dead, becoming the first man put to death by the Federal Government since the execution of Victor Feguer in 1963.

Due to a law signed by President Clinton in 1997 to keep people convicted of certain crimes from being buried in military cemeteries McVeigh was ineligible for burial in a military cemetery despite having been honorably discharged. He was cremated and the ashes given to his lawyer who scattered them in an undisclosed location.