Oklahoma City Bombing

1861 Words4 Pages

Acts of terrorism are carried out due to ideologies that are followed by terrorists. These ideologies do not cease to exist with the apprehension of any particular terrorist that commits one act of terrorism. A clear example to point out is the death of Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda and their beliefs have continued full force despite the apprehension and execution of one of their top leaders. Their beliefs in their ideology will continued to fuel motives for potential acts of terrorism in the future. By understanding the motives of terrorists, societies can take precautions and measures to protect them from future acts of terrorism. “It's the human intelligence that is the answer and not the physical” that will allow us to fight back again terrorists states Wood, an international studies expert (Dahl & Thomas, 1995).
Countries will never be completely protected from all acts of terrorism. Consequently, it is up to each society to ensure that all available resources are expended to safeguard their country and its citizens. This case study researches the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995. In hopes of understanding this act of terrorism the following topics are explored; the history of the terrorist act and organization portrayed in the act, logistics of the event, effect of the act, and the reaction of the intended target.
History
In April 19, 1995 an explosion occurred at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The explosion killed 168 people and additionally injured over 800 more; the victims included men, women, and children. Timothy McVeigh committed the majority of this atrocious act, his accomplices Terry Nichols and Michael Fortier, assisted in the planning of the act. Nichols received a sentence of 161 consecutive coun...

... middle of paper ...

...ernment have a prolonging effect to the nation.
Conclusion

References
Dahl, D. & Thomas J. (1995). Terrorism Has Already Left Its Mark on American Institutions. St. Petersburg Times (Florida).
Evans, M. (2013). The Times. A “Lone Wolf” Attacker is Investigators’ Best Guess.
Historical Crime Case Study #2: The Oklahoma City Bombing. Retrieved from: http://resource.rockyview.ab.ca/t4t/forensicscience35-3cr/Module3/L4/M3L4P03-CaseStudyOklahoma.html
Linenthal, Edward. (2001). The Unfinished Bombing: Oklahoma City in American Memory. Oxford University Press.
Solomon, J. (2013). FBI Linked McVeigh to Group After Bombing. Associated Press Writer. Retrieved from: http://www.ourmidland.com/import/fbi-linked-mcveigh-to-group-after-bombing/article_22536953-36df-55b1-a7c9-9ad4abc0dee5.html
White, J. (2014). Terrorism and Homeland Security. California: Thomason-Wadsworth.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Bill Clinton's Address Of The Oklahoma Bombing

    413 Words  | 1 Pages

    On April 19, 1995 two former US Soldiers blew up a the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing over 150 people. Bill Clinton, President of the United States at that time, wrote a speech where he shared his sympathy for the friends and family of victims and united the country through his use of parallelism, patriotic language, and inclusive wording.

    Read More

  • Oklahoma City Bombing: Timothy McVeigh

    1217 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Oklahoma City Bombing was a domestic terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April 19, 1995. It was lead by Timothy McVeigh, an Army veteran of the Persian Gulf War. The explosive was a homemade bomb which was built by McVeigh and the help of Terry Nichols; the bomb consisted of a deadly cocktail and was put inside a rented Ryder truck in front of the Murrah Federal Building . McVeigh then proceeded out of the truck and headed towards his getaway car a few blocks away. He then started the detonation of the timed bomb at exactly 9:02 A.M. then the bomb exploded. To the people of Oklahoma it was a traumatizing moment for all, many lost families, dozens of cars were incinerated and more than 300 buildings were destroyed and caused about $652 million worth of damages. The “OKBOMB” affected hundreds of people; it killed “168 people -- 19 of them children -- and injured more than 500.” (CNN.com) Within 90 minutes of the explosion, McVeigh was pulled over 80 miles north of Oklahoma City by a state trooper who noticed McVeigh's missing license plate. He was later arrested for having a concealed weapon. From there, a investigation was held and agents found traces of chemicals on McVeigh’s clothing similar to the ones from the bomb. They learned that McVeigh’s plan was due to the anger over the events at Waco Siege two years earlier. The bombing investigation was one of the most exhaustive in FBI history; “the Bureau had conducted more than 28,000 interviews, followed some 43,000 investigative leads, amassed three-and-a-half tons of evidence, and reviewed nearly a billion pieces of information.” (FBI.com) Oklahoma City bombing was “considered the worst and the largest terrorist act eve...

    Read More

  • The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wheeler, Tim. "McVeigh could tell some tales." People's Weekly World [New York] 26 May 2001, National

    Read More

  • The Turner Diaries Summary

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    It would appear that there are more questions to be answered than there are facts to support the government’s case against McVeigh. As the government asserts that the release of the video surveillance footage could not be released as a matter of “National Security” or the text advising federal agents, prosecutors and judges to stay out of their offices on that day plays to the mindset of those who would consider the actions which took place on April 19, 1995 as a covert action by the government gone

    Read More

  • Foreign Policy: The Iran-Contra Affair

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jeffrey David Simon, The Terrorist Trap: America's Experience with Terrorism, 2nd ed. (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2001), 188-89.

    Read More

  • The 1993 Bombing of the World Trade Center

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    On 26 February 1993 at 12:17, a yellow RYDER van detonated on level B-2 of the World Trade Center North tower. What was first believed to be a below grade transformer explosion turned into an extensive test of New York Cities Incident Command capabilities. Everyone involved had an intricate part in handling this situation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was able to get all support assets there promptly to assist in rescue operations. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) discovered information on the vehicle used. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) used all of the intelligence gathered to apprehend and convict those responsible. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducted cleanup of chemical and biological hazards that were left behind from the blast. Numerous agencies worked together to solve the first terrorist attack on American soil and clean up a disaster of epic proportions.

    Read More

  • The failure to Prevent 9-11

    2217 Words  | 5 Pages

    When a giant explosion ripped through Alfred P. Murrah federal building April 19,1995, killing 168 and wounding hundreds, the United States of America jumped to a conclusion we would all learn to regret. The initial response to the devastation was all focused of middle-eastern terrorists. “The West is under attack,”(Posner 89), reported the USA Today. Every news and television station had the latest expert on the middle east telling the nation that we were victims of jihad, holy war. It only took a few quick days to realize that we were wrong and the problem, the terrorist, was strictly domestic. But it was too late. The damage had been done. Because America jumped to conclusions then, America was later blind to see the impending attack of 9/11. The responsibility, however, is not to be placed on the America people. The public couldn’t stand to hear any talk of terrorism, so in turn the White House irresponsibly took a similar attitude. They concentrated on high public opinion and issues that were relevant to Americans everyday. The government didn’t want to deal with another public blunder like the one in Oklahoma City. A former FBI analyst recalls, “when I went to headquarters (Washington, D.C.) later that year no one was interested in hearing anything about Arab money connections unless it had something to do with funding domestic groups. We stumbled so badly on pinpointing the Middle East right off the bat on the Murrah bombing. No one wanted to get caught like that again,”(Posner 90). The result saw changes in the counter terrorism efforts; under funding, under manning, poor cooperation between agencies, half-hearted and incompetent agency official appointees and the list goes on. All of these decisions, made at the hands of the faint-hearted, opened the doors wide open, and practically begged for a terrorist attack. So who’s fault is it? The public’s for being

    Read More

  • The Criminal Justice System After 9/11

    622 Words  | 2 Pages

    September 11, 2001 was one of the most devastating and horrific events in the United States history. Americans feeling of a secure nation had been broken. Over 3,000 people and more than 400 police officers and firefighters were killed during the attacks on The World Trade Center and the Pentagon; in New York City and Washington, D.C. Today the term terrorism is known as the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives (Birzer, Roberson). This term was clearly not defined for the United States for we had partial knowledge and experience with terrorist attacks; until the day September 11, 2001. At that time, President George W. Bush, stated over a televised address from the Oval Office, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” President Bush stood by this statement for the United States was about to retaliate and change the face of the criminal justice system for terrorism.

    Read More

  • Oklahoma City Bombing Timothy Mcveigh

    1134 Words  | 3 Pages

    There were 168 casualties, 19 of those being children, as well as many injured humans. Dozens of vehicles were incinerated. All of these actions left the people infuriated they acted as quick as possible. The people in the building helped the police draw the man’s face out who had the van. The people around town figured out who he was and got a name. Just about 90 minutes later, after he set a bomb, he got pulled over by a state trooper because he didn’t have a license plate. When the FBI finally discovered who he was, he was already put in jail. This is when the case began to get very tiring. There was 28,000 interviews, 43,000 investigative leads, 1 billion viewed pieces of information, and 3 and a half tons of information. This investigation had 2,000 agents. The police and FBI gathered together chemicals from his clothes and an unknown card that had “TNT @$5/stick, need more” The jury wanted Timothy McVeigh sentenced to death, leaving Timothy to be given the lethal injection. However, his right wing extremists weren’t let off the hook so easily. Since Michael Fortier knew where the bomb was going to be set at, and Terry Nichols was Timothy’s helper in making the bomb, the Federal Government charged Timothy’s army buddies with helping McVeigh in plotting the bomb. Terry and Michael had years in

    Read More

  • Zero Dark Thirty is a Movie Loosely Based on Osama Bin Laden

    755 Words  | 2 Pages

    Historical Significance: The September 11th, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, orchestrated by Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden, were the events that launched the U.S. War on Terrorism. Al-Qaeda’s attack on the United States was carried out by members of radicalized Islamic groups, whose objective was to spread jihad against the secular influence of the West. This tragic event provided the historical b...

    Read More

  • Essay On Domestic Terrorism

    1345 Words  | 3 Pages

    Do you remember the conflict that America had in the Persian Gulf a few years back? An incident occurred there where a man drove a truck loaded with explosives into the building where more than 100 Marines were stationed. He blew up the building, along with the Marines. The incident was published by the AP Press soon after. Now do you remember the bombing just four years ago, in Oklahoma City? Suspects Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols drove a Ryder Van loaded with 4,800 pounds of fertilizer and fuel oil to the front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, where it subsequently exploded, killing 169 people and injuring some 500 others. Of course you do. While both were massive acts of violence involving American citizens, the impact of such acts is always felt the most when it happens right here at home.

    Read More

  • 11-M: March 11, 2004 Madrid Train Bombings

    1894 Words  | 4 Pages

    The adage of the adage of the adage of the adage of the adage of the Terrorism and Homeland Security. 8th Edition. The. Wadsworth

    Read More

  • Future Terrorism

    744 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some terrorists may have the motivation to prove something political, while some may just inflict terror to keep control over a group, people or country. Then there are terrorists who act under the notion that they are showing support for something, as in religious regions, while others do so to show disdain for something they don't agree with. Government, individual agencies, private agencies, and academic experts have all developed, proposed, designed, and analyzed what constitutes acts of terrorism. The meaning of terrorism has definitely changed and has acquired new definitions over the years. The million dollar question is how will the future of America be affected by this act of terrorism?

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Someone Blew Up America

    1388 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many conspiracy theories exist about the attacks. Although it is commonly held that the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda is responsible, some think it was an inside job—coming from the United States. Others acknowledge Al-Qaeda as the perpetrator, but blame the cause on past involvement of the United States in the Middle East. One such person is Amiri Baraka. In his poem, Somebody Blew Up America, Baraka points to the larger system as the root cause of violence. He never blames a single entity, but through the use of rhetorical questioning it is obvious as to whom Baraka is accusing as being the real terrorist. Using the word “who” 191 times, Baraka establishes a connection within any reader who feels empathy with victims of anonymous crimes. (IV 1) Who is to blame? Amiri Baraka’s Somebody Blew Up

    Read More

  • The Methodology of Terrorism

    4279 Words  | 9 Pages

    Terrorism is one of the most extensively discussed issues of our time and at the same time it is also one of the least understood. The term itself “terrorism” means many different things to different people, cultures, and races. As a result, trying to define or classify terrorism with one universal definition is nearly impossible. The definition of terrorism used in this research is a reflection of much of the Western and American way of defining it. The definition of terrorism is,

    Read More

More about Oklahoma City Bombing

Open Document