A powerful bomb devastated a serene morning in Oklahoma City, destroying much of a nine-story building and sending shockwaves throughout the United States. The tragic event, which remains the deadliest homegrown attack in U.S. history, occurred on the morning of April 19, 1995. The city will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing with a public ceremony at the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum. The event will honor the victims by reading their names, featuring remarks from family members and survivors, and a keynote address by former President Bill Clinton.
The bombing claimed the lives of 168 individuals, whose ages ranged from three months to 73 years old, including 19 children. Additionally, hundreds were injured in the attack. The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, the primary target, housed offices for several federal agencies such as the Social Security Administration, the FBI, the Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and a credit union. America’s Kids Daycare was on the building’s second floor.
The explosive device, composed of ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel packed into a rental truck, obliterated approximately one-third of the building, causing floors to collapse onto one another. Some victims perished from the initial blast, while others were crushed by the falling debris.
Initial suspicions pointed to foreign extremists, but the attack was ultimately perpetrated by two former U.S. soldiers, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Their anger toward the federal government was intensified by the 1993 raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, and the standoff at Ruby Ridge, Idaho. The bombing took place on the second anniversary of the Waco siege’s conclusion. McVeigh carried out the attack by driving the truck to the site and setting the fuse. He was subsequently convicted of murder and executed in 2001. Nichols, who assisted in planning and constructing the bomb, was convicted of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter and is serving a life sentence.
This attack brought attention to domestic violent extremism and anti-government sentiments in the United States. McVeigh and Nichols were sympathetic to right-wing militia movements that emerged in the early 1990s and persist today, often connected to conspiracy theories, nationalism, and white supremacist ideology. Addressing domestic political extremism has remained challenging and contentious over the past three decades.
In response to the bombing, an anti-terrorism law was enacted in 1996, which increased penalties for various crimes and allocated $1 billion, primarily to the FBI, to bolster counterterrorism efforts. Despite these measures, there is no separate domestic terrorism charge under federal law, which defines domestic terrorism as violence aimed at coercing a civilian population or influencing government policy. In 2022, the Justice Department established a unit to address rising threats from violent extremists within the U.S. Some survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing express concern that modern anti-government rhetoric could incite further violence.
The remains of the federal building were demolished roughly a month after the attack, and a memorial complex was erected in its place. The complex features a museum, a reflecting pool, and 168 empty chairs made of glass, bronze, and stone, each engraved with the name of a victim. Nineteen smaller chairs represent the children who died. The memorial’s gates mark 9:01 a.m. and 9:03 a.m., with the reflecting pond symbolizing 9:02 a.m., the moment the bomb detonated. A resilient American elm, known as the “Survivor Tree,” stands on a hill, providing shade to the memorial below.
The Oklahoma City National Memorial has become a prominent site, attracting over 500,000 visitors annually, including school children who visit to learn about the perils of political violence.