1995-+Federal+Buildingg5

=Federal Building Bombing, Oklahoma City=



Overview
The Oklahoma City bombing happened on April 19, 1995. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. McVeigh rented a truck and loaded it with about 5,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. On April 19th, McVeigh drove the truck to the Murrah Federal Building, lit the bomb's fuse, parked in front of the building, left the keys inside the truck and locked the door. Then he walked across the parking lot to an alley. The bombing was maybe the biggest act of terrorism untiI 9/11. 168 people died in the bombing and 680 people were injured. It damaged about 324 buildings in a sixteen block area. The bomb caused about $652 million worth of damage.

Central Issue
McVeigh's attack happened at the same time as the second anniversary of the Waco Siege. After the bombing, McVeigh was stopped by an Oklahoma State Trooper for driving without a license plate, and arrested for carrying a weapon. McVeigh was arrested within days and Michael and Lori Fortier were also found as accomplices. The investigation was the largest criminal investigation case in American history. 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. There was a large rescue effort. The Federal Emergency Management Agency called eleven of its Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces, with 665 rescue workers who assisted in rescue and recovery operations.

Conclusion
As a result of the bombing, the U.S. government passed laws designed to prevent future terrorist attacks by increasing the protection around federal buildings. From 1995 to 2005, over 60 terrorism plots were stopped by the laws from response to the bombing. On April 19, 2000, the Oklahoma City National Memorial was dedicated on the site of the Murrah Federal Building, remembering the victims of the bombing. Services are held at the time of the bombing each year.


