The Oklahoma City Bombing

At 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, an explosion destroyed much of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. One hundred sixty-eight people were killed and hundreds were injured. The victims included federal workers, visitors and 19 children.

The victims and immediate response

The attack caused catastrophic damage to the federal building and surrounding area. Rescue operations began immediately. The human toll—not the ideology of the offenders—is the central fact of the case: 168 people lost their lives, and many survivors and families lived with lasting physical and psychological consequences.

The investigation

The FBI's OKBOMB investigation became one of the most extensive investigations in Bureau history. Investigators traced physical evidence from the vehicle used in the attack, conducted tens of thousands of interviews and followed more than forty thousand investigative leads.

Timothy McVeigh had already been taken into state custody after a traffic stop shortly after the bombing. The federal investigation then connected him to the attack and to Terry Nichols. Michael Fortier was also prosecuted for his role in failing to report the planned crime and lying to investigators.

Trial and sentences

A federal jury convicted McVeigh on all 11 counts in June 1997. He was sentenced to death and was executed on June 11, 2001 after the completion of the relevant appellate and post-conviction proceedings.

Nichols was convicted in federal court of conspiracy and eight counts of involuntary manslaughter and received life imprisonment without parole. Fortier testified for the government and received a 12-year sentence for failing to warn authorities and for false statements.

Investigative scrutiny after conviction

Before McVeigh's scheduled execution, the FBI disclosed that documents had not been produced to the defense on time. The Department of Justice postponed the execution to permit review. The Justice Department's Inspector General later examined the disclosure failure. The episode was serious, but the courts did not overturn McVeigh's convictions, and he was executed on June 11, 2001.

Timeline

1. April 19, 1995
   The attack

   The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building is bombed; 168 people are killed.

2. April 19–21, 1995
   Early identification

   Physical evidence and investigative leads connect the rented vehicle to Timothy McVeigh, who is already in state custody.

3. June 2, 1997
   McVeigh convicted

   A federal jury finds him guilty on all counts.

4. December 23, 1997
   Nichols convicted

   A separate federal jury convicts Terry Nichols of conspiracy and manslaughter counts.

5. June 4, 1998
   Nichols sentenced

   He receives life imprisonment without parole.

6. June 11, 2001
   McVeigh executed

   The federal death sentence is carried out after review of belatedly produced FBI material.

Current status

The central criminal responsibility for the bombing is adjudicated. McVeigh was convicted and executed; Nichols remains under life sentences; Fortier completed the sentence imposed for his offenses. The case is therefore classified as Solved / Adjudicated.