McVeigh, Timothy (1968–2001)

Though often described as a lone-wolf terrorist, Timothy McVeigh, the perpetrator of the 1995 Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing, was part of a larger right-wing culture of religious extremism in the United States that identified the secular agenda of the federal government as the enemy. In what became increasingly apparent during the 1990s, a tension between perceptions of secular activities on the part of the U.S. government and the religious principles of the loosely connected Christian Identity movement gave way to a spectacular act of terrorism in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

On April 19, 1995, Timothy James McVeigh (1968–2001) executed a plan to bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing a total of 168 people and injuring an estimated 450 others. He parked a rented truck carrying 4,400 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer and nitromethane fuel at the front of the building, ignited the explosives on a timed fuse, and abandoned the scene. The blast effectively destroyed the building, as the remaining structure underwent a controlled demolition shortly afterward.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents traced the vehicle identification number of the rental truck; the rental company employees provided information for a sketch of “Robert Kling,” the alias used by McVeigh in the rental agreement. McVeigh was later stopped and arrested by an Oklahoma State Trooper for driving with no license plates and possessing a loaded firearm. McVeigh was indicted on eight counts of first-degree murder, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, use of a weapon of mass destruction, and destruction by explosives.

In addition to citing the infamous William Pierce novel The Turner Diaries, McVeigh also appeared to have used the book as a blueprint for the bombing. In a particularly uncanny resemblance to the actual events, Pierce tells a story about a fictitious character who blows up a federal building using explosives identical to those used by McVeigh. Pierce's character was also combating the perceived evils of the government's secular activities that encroached on what Pierce held to be Christian liberties.

In accordance with one of sociologist Mark Juergensmeyer's characterizations of religious violence, McVeigh targeted the federal building to enact a symbolic drama that conveyed a message beyond the actual violence itself. This symbolic act was evidenced by McVeigh's self-described motives for the bombing as retaliation for the U.S. government's aggression at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and at Waco, Texas, during the siege of the Branch Davidian compound. Housing regional offices for federal agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the FBI; Social Security Administration; and recruiting offices for the Army and Marine Corps, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was an ideal target for McVeigh's symbolic motives.

McVeigh was found guilty of all counts and received the death penalty by lethal injection on June 11, 2001. Ten years later, his act was compared with the Oslo bombing and killing carried out by Norwegian Christian terrorist Anders Brevik on July 22, 2011.