Timothy McVeigh (1968–2001) was an American domestic terrorist who committed one of the deadliest acts of terrorism in U.S. history. His [extremist](https://doctorparadox.net/psychology/extremism/) and [[anti-government]] beliefs, military background, and capacity for violence culminated in a heinous crime that caused immense suffering and forever marked a moment of profound tragedy in the nation's consciousness.
Born in Lockport, New York, McVeigh was described as withdrawn and disillusioned from an early age. His resentment towards the government began to intensify following its confrontations with extremist groups at the [[Ruby Ridge standoff]] in Idaho in 1992, and in Waco, Texas, in 1993. The Ruby Ridge incident and [[Waco Siege]] seemed to McVeigh to confirm his belief in a tyrannical federal government, and it was in this context that he began plotting an act of violence that would shock the nation.
## Oklahoma City bombing
On April 19, 1995, McVeigh detonated a truck bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, including 19 children, and injuring more than 500 others. The [[Oklahoma City bombing]] was the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history and remains so to this day. The scale of human loss, the deliberate targeting of a federal building, and the indiscriminate nature of the violence was a horrific testament to McVeigh's radicalized, extremist worldview.
Captured shortly after the bombing, McVeigh was tried and convicted on 11 federal counts, including conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, use of a weapon of mass destruction, destruction by explosives, and eight counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to death in 1997 and executed by lethal injection in 2001.
McVeigh's act of terrorism was a grim reminder of the destructive potential of extremist ideologies. His crimes were an assault not only on the lives of the people he killed and injured but also on the principles of democracy, peace, and respect for human life. The legacy of his heinous act continues to reverberate, serving as a stark warning of the devastating consequences of radicalization and violent extremism.