The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. The bombing remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U. Perpetrated by anti-government extremists Timothy McVeigh , the mastermind, [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] and Terry Nichols , the bombing occurred at a. Within 90 minutes of the explosion, McVeigh was stopped by Oklahoma Highway Patrolman Charlie Hanger for driving without a license plate and arrested for illegal weapons possession.
Michael and Lori Fortier were later identified as accomplices. McVeigh, a veteran of the Gulf War and a sympathizer with the U.
Nichols had assisted with the bomb's preparation. Motivated by his dislike for the U. McVeigh was executed by lethal injection on June 11, , at the U. Nichols was sentenced to life in prison in In response to the bombing, the U. Congress passed the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of , which limited access to habeas corpus in the United States , among other provisions.
There was a firefight and ultimately a siege of the compound, resulting in the burning and shooting deaths of David Koresh and 75 others. McVeigh later said that, instead of bombing a building, he had contemplated a "campaign of individual assassination". He regarded the presence of additional law enforcement agencies, such as the Secret Service or the U.
Marshals Service , as a bonus. Murrah Federal Building. McVeigh chose the Murrah building because he expected its glass front to shatter under the impact of the blast. He also believed that its adjacent large, open parking lot across the street might absorb and dissipate some of the force, and protect the occupants of nearby non-federal buildings. McVeigh and Nichols bought or stole the materials they needed to manufacture the bomb and stored them in rented sheds.
