The Oklahoma City Bombing and Other Acts of Terrorism in the United States

Although terrorism is often seen as an international phenomenon, domestic terrorism occurs the world over. The United States has seen numerous acts of domestic terrorism, some more violent than others.

The Weathermen (a.k.a the Weather Underground) were a radical left-wing group active in the early 1970s. During the last years of the Vietnam War they bombed university buildings, government organizations, and corporate headquarters.

 

In February 1971, the Weathermen detonated a bomb in a ground floor bathroom of the US Capitol building in Washington, DC. Fortunately, it was in the middle of the night so no one was harmed. The blast did, however, put a fire under government officials to tighten security.

 

In the mid- to late 1970s, the Weathermen began dissolving as members turned themselves in or moved on to other armed revolutionary groups. Many former Weathermen have reintegrated into society.

 

In June 2003, filmmakers Sam Green and Bill Siegel released a documentary about the Weatherman organization called The Weather Underground.

In the worst case of domestic terrorism on US soil, a truck bomb exploded outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on April 19, 1995. A total of 168 people died and hundreds more were injured. Timothy J. McVeigh and Terry L. Nichols were arrested in connection with the Oklahoma City bombing. Both men had strong ties to the "patriot movement," an extremist militia group.

 

McVeigh: On June 2, 1997 Timothy McVeigh was convicted of eight counts of murder, conspiracy and other charges; eleven days later the same jury recommended the death penalty. McVeigh spent the next few years at Colorado's ADX Supermax prison. Later he was transferred to Terra Haute federal prison in Indiana. On June 11, 2001 McVeigh was executed by lethal injection.

 

Nichols: Terry Nichols is the accused accomplice of McVeigh, and on December 27, 1997 was convicted of conspiracy and eight counts of manslaughter. On June 4, 1998 Nichols was sentenced to life in prison without parole. In 2000 the state of Oklahoma charged Nichols with 160 counts of murder among other charges. On May 26, 2004 he was found guilty on all counts. On August 9, 2004 he was sentenced to a second life term. Nichols is now incarcerated at Colorado's ADX Supermax prison.

Theodore Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, was high on the FBI's Most Wanted list between 1978 and 1995, until his capture in April 1996. Specializing in homemade mail bombs, Kaczynski killed three people and injured more than twenty in sixteen separate bombings. In 1998 he escaped death row by pleading guilty (a plea he later tried unsuccessfully to withdraw). He is now serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole at Colorado's ADX Supermax prison.

Other acts of domestic terrorism include the shootings of abortion doctors by extreme members of the pro-life movement, and ecoterrorism. Perpetuated by extremist environment and animal rights groups, ecoterrorism has included tree spiking, arson, vandalism, and attacks on corporations using animals for research purposes. The Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front are two of the better-known ecoterrorist groups.