Oklahoma City Bombing

Cultural  

1. The destruction of a federal office building in Oklahoma City in 1995 by a truck loaded with explosives; the blast killed 168 people. Timothy McVeigh, a former U.S. soldier, and two conspirators were convicted of the crime; McVeigh was executed.

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Many Americans initially assumed that this act of terrorism was the work of Arabs in retaliation for U.S. support of Israel and were shocked to learn that the perpetrators were Americans. McVeigh and his conspirators had vague ties to the militia movement of the 1990s.

Example Sentences

Agency leaders focused considerable energy on organized crime — which Hoover had mostly ignored or tolerated — from the mid-’70s onward, and were reluctantly compelled to acknowledge the rising threat of white nationalist and anti-government terrorism after Waco, Ruby Ridge and the Oklahoma City bombing in 1994.

From Salon

I remember watching the news on that horrible afternoon when the Oklahoma City bombing took place.

From Salon

Other spikes in reports of suspicious bags or items happen in the wake of a major incident, such as the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, when authorities were inundated by reports from the newly vigilant public.

From Los Angeles Times

With the Oklahoma City bombing and Timothy McVeigh, many militia movements go underground and become less publicly visible, and focus way less on sheriffs.

From Salon

One or both of the rulings have been cited as precedents in a slew of high-profile proceedings, including those related to the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, the Boston Marathon bombing, the Aurora, Colo., theater shooting and Martha Stewart’s perjury case, Bernstein said.

From Los Angeles Times