Oklahoma City to mark 30 years since the bombing that killed 168 people and shook America
Share this @internewscast.com

OKLAHOMA CITY — A bomb with a force powerful enough to instantly destroy much of a nine-story building shattered a quiet Oklahoma City morning and sent a shock wave through America.

Saturday is the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, the deadliest homegrown attack in United States history that exposed a dark undercurrent of anti-government extremist anger.

A public ceremony to mark the anniversary at the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum will include the reading of the names of the 168 people killed, remarks by victim family members and survivors, and a keynote address by former President Bill Clinton.

The victims

The dead ranged in age from three months to 73 years old. Nineteen of them were children. Hundreds more were injured.

The building that was bombed – the Alfred P. Murrah federal complex – included regional offices for several agencies, including the Social Security Administration, the FBI, the Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and a credit union. America’s Kids Daycare was on the second floor.

The bomb, a mixture of ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel packed into a rental truck, sheared off about a third of the building and caused floors to collapse on each other. Some victims not killed by the blast were crushed to death, buried by the falling structure.

The bombers

Authorities initially suspected the attack had been orchestrated by extremists outside the U.S., but the perpetrators turned out to be two former U.S. soldiers.

Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols met while serving in the Army. The pair held a deep anger toward the American government that had been sharpened by the 1993 federal raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, that killed 76 people, and a standoff in the mountains of Ruby Ridge, Idaho, that left a 14-year-old boy, his mother and a federal agent dead.

The Oklahoma City bombing happened on the second anniversary of the fiery end to the 51-day Waco siege.

McVeigh drove the truck to the site and set the fuse to blow it up. He was convicted of 11 murder counts and executed by lethal injection in 2001. Nichols helped McVeigh plan and build the bomb. He was convicted of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter, and is serving life in prison.

Domestic extremism

The bombing exposed Americans to violent extremism and anti-government sentiment on home soil. McVeigh and Nichols sympathized with right-wing militia movements that sprang up in the early 1990s and continue to this day, often with ties to conspiracy theories, nationalism and white supremacist ideology.

How to tackle domestic political extremism has proven difficult and politically divisive in the 30 years since the bombing in Oklahoma.

In 1996, Clinton signed an “antiterrorism” law that toughened penalties for a wide range of crimes and made it a crime to target federal workers performing their duties. It also spent about $1 billion, most of it for the FBI, to expand counterterrorism efforts.

Federal criminal law defines domestic terrorism as violence intended to coerce or intimidate a civilian population and to influence government policy, but there is no stand-alone domestic terrorism charge.

In 2022, the Justice Department created a specialized unit focused on what officials described as an “elevated” threat from violent extremists in the U.S. And some survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing have said they worry that anti-government rhetoric in modern-day politics could also lead to violence.

The memorial and ceremony

What was left of the federal building was torn down about a month after the bombing and a memorial complex was built in its place. The memorial includes a museum, a reflecting pool and 168 empty chairs of glass, bronze and stone etched with the names of those killed. Nineteen of the chairs are smaller than the others to represent the children killed.

Gates to the memorial mark the times, 9:01 a.m. and 9:03 a.m., while the reflecting pond between them represents 9:02 a.m., the minute the bomb exploded. A “Survivor Tree,” a gnarled American elm that withstood the blast, now stands on a small hill and shades the memorial below.

The memorial site is among Oklahoma’s most popular destinations, typically drawing more than 500,000 visitors each year. School children arrive by the busload to learn about the dangers of political violence.

Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Tragic pics of youngest victims in Texas floods from twin sisters, 8, to family member, 9, of Kansas City Chiefs owner

Heartbreaking Photos Reveal Youngest Victims of Texas Floods: Twin Sisters, 8, and 9-Year-Old Relative of Kansas City Chiefs Owner

The flash floods that swept through Central Texas last week resulted in…
Mets lose Starling Marte to IL as Jesse Winker returns

Mets Place Starling Marte on Injured List as Jesse Winker Makes a Comeback

BALTIMORE — Starling Marte’s All-Star break has already commenced. On Tuesday, the…
Benjamin Netanyahu handing a document to Donald Trump at a meeting.

Trump Receives Nobel Peace Prize Nomination During Netanyahu’s Successful White House Visit

DONALD Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Israel’s…
Family photo of John and Julia Burgess with their two children.

Parents Perish in Texas Floods After Father Holds Onto Missing Sons, Leaving Orphaned Daughter

A LITTLE girl has been left orphaned after the devastating Texas floods…
Telvin Smith arrested for aggravated assault against landscaper

Former NFL Player Telvin Smith Charged with Aggravated Assault on Landscaper

Smith, who played for the Jaguars from 2014 to 2018, has had…
Camp Shaw in Manteno, Illinois: Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See talks safety protocols near Rock Creek amid Texas flooding at Camp Mystic

Camp Shaw in Manteno, Illinois: Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See Discusses Safety Measures Near Rock Creek in Light of Texas Flooding at Camp Mystic

MANTENO, Ill. (WLS) — As search and rescue efforts continue in Texas,…
Seven Chinese nationals charged in multimillion-dollar marijuana trafficking operation

Seven Individuals from China Accused in Multi-Million Dollar Cannabis Trafficking Scheme

Seven individuals from China residing in Massachusetts have been accused of being…
GOP faces 'big, beautiful' blowback risk on ObamaCare subsidy cuts

The GOP Risks Major Backlash Over Obamacare Subsidy Reductions

Medicaid cuts have largely dominated the focus of those disparaging the Republican’s…
ICE agents capture suspected violent MS-13 gang member, another illegal alien after police let them slip away

ICE Agents Detain MS-13 Suspect and Another Undocumented Immigrant After Police Release

Federal authorities in Indiana recently nabbed two illegal immigrants accused of murder…
Supreme Court blocks Trump from restarting Alien Enemies Act deportations

The Supreme Court paves the way for Trump’s efforts to reduce the number of federal employees.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave the green light to President Donald…
'Wall of water': Texan recounts catastrophic midnight flood surge that swept away 27 girls at Camp Mystic

“Texan Details Devastating Midnight Flood That Swept Away 27 Girls at Camp Mystic”

During a pitch-black night, residents merely five miles away from Camp Mystic…
Former '16 and Pregnant' star Whitney Purvis charged in man's death

Ex-’16 and Pregnant’ Star Whitney Purvis Accused in Man’s Death

A former participant of MTV’s “16 and Pregnant” found herself in legal…