Oklahoma City Bombing
Background:
On April 19th, 1995, in Oklahoma City, OK, an American launched a terrorist attack that left 168 people dead, with dozens more injured. The terrorist attack would be the worst attack on U.S. territory until the attacks 9/11. The attack took place at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and the terrorists used a truck bomb to launch the attack. McVeigh was a former soldier and one of the terrorists responsible for this attack and was a member of a right-wing survivalist group in Michigan. Terry Nichols, a former soldier who had met McVeigh in the army, was also responsible for the attack, and was a member of the survivalist group as well.
McVeigh:
McVeigh was an anti-government militant who had a deep mistrust of communism and of communist governments, such as Soviet Russia. After the end of the Cold War, however, McVeigh became wary of his own government, and was radicalized by incidences such as the shootings of federal agents. McVeigh planned to bomb the Oklahoma City building because several government organizations, such as the Secret Service and the DEA, were located there. On June 2, 1997, two years after the attack, McVeigh was convicted and in July of 2001, he was executed by lethal injection. He was the first federal prisoner to be executed in 38 years.
Impacts:
300 buildings within the explosion were harmed by the attack, and 19 children were killed in the bombing. 168 people were killed in the incident, and McVeigh was executed, with Nichols serving 161 life sentences in prison. The Murrah Building was demolished the next month, but a national museum and memorial was created at the site of the bombing. This attack, though perpetrated by an American, no doubt influenced politicians and their foreign policies, and may have been a reason for President Bush’s War on Terror.
Source:
http://www.history.com/topics/oklahoma-city-bombing
Interesting article, and definitely a tragedy for America and everyone involved. What were McVeigh's underlying motivations for committing such an attack? Was he primarily motivated to strike against the government, and what events may have motivated him to strike in the first place? Overall, this article sheds light on an important issue that plagues the US today, domestic terrorism.
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ReplyDeleteThis was an informative article. I didn't know that this was the biggest terrorist attack in the U.S. until 9/11. Why do you think McVeigh started realizing faults in his own government? What triggered this drastic change from hating the communist regime to hating your own? I think that being a soldier in your lifetime exposes oneself to the unknown pillars of tragedies and sacrifices needed to support democracy. Therefore, McVeigh and his attackers may have been convinced that our democratic government was not heading towards the direction of a true democracy. I found this really interesting letter and written interview called "Why I bombed the Murrah Federal Building". It is by McVeigh, revealing more information about his motives.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.outpost-of-freedom.com/mcveigh/okcwhy.htm
Good article on a national horrific act. How did this incident change the security of the nation? Though there were no prevention laws for bombings, there deterrent laws enacted. An example of this is the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. Self-explanatory, the act was criticized to increase the risk of an innocent victim. What other laws were passed to prevent another bombing? What else changed between the Oklahoma City Bombing and 9/11 in terms of the security of the nation?
ReplyDeleteSource:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiterrorism_and_Effective_Death_Penalty_Act_of_1996