Timothy McVeigh (1968-2001) was an American domestic terrorist responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995. Born in Lockport, New York, McVeigh was a former United States Army soldier who served in the Gulf War. He became infamous for carrying out one of the deadliest acts of terrorism on American soil.
The Oklahoma City bombing was a meticulously planned attack in which McVeigh detonated a truck bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The explosion resulted in the deaths of 168 people, including 19 children, and injured over 500 others. The bombing was intended to be a retaliation against what McVeigh perceived as government abuses at Ruby Ridge and Waco.
McVeigh's extremist views were influenced by a range of ideologies, including anti-government sentiments, a belief in white supremacy, and a vehement opposition to gun control. His actions were primarily motivated by a desire to inspire a revolt against what he saw as a tyrannical federal government.
After being apprehended, McVeigh was convicted of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and other charges related to the bombing. He was sentenced to death and executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001, at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana.
The Oklahoma City bombing remains one of the most significant acts of terrorism in American history, prompting substantial changes in security measures and law enforcement tactics across the country.
