apr 19, 1995 - Oklahoma City Bombing

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The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing on April 19, 1995, in Oklahoma City, United States. Perpetrated by anti-government extremists Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the attack killed 167 people, injured 684, and destroyed over one-third of the building. The blast caused an estimated $652 million worth of damage. Local, state, federal, and worldwide agencies engaged in extensive rescue efforts, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) activating 11 of its Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces.

McVeigh was stopped by Oklahoma Highway Patrolman Charlie Hanger for driving without a license plate and arrested for illegal weapons possession. Forensic evidence quickly linked McVeigh and Nichols to the attack, with Nichols arrested and both charged. Michael and Lori Fortier were later identified as accomplices. McVeigh, a veteran of the Gulf War and a sympathizer with the U.S. militia movement, detonated a Ryder rental truck full of explosives he parked in front of the building. Nichols had assisted with the bomb's preparation.

The FBI investigation, known as "OKBOMB," involved 28,000 interviews, 3,200 kg (7,100 lbs) of evidence, and nearly one billion pieces of information. The bombers were tried and convicted in 1997, with McVeigh executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001, at the U.S. federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. Nichols was sentenced to life in prison in 2004. In response to the bombing, the U.S. Congress passed the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, which limited access to habeas corpus in the United States and increased protection around federal buildings to deter future terrorist attacks.

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