McVeigh later decided to bomb a federal building as a response to the raids.

McVeigh initially intended only to destroy a federal building, but he later decided that his message would be better received if many people were killed in the bombing.

Specifically, McVeigh arranged the barrels in the shape of a backwards J ; he later said that for pure destructive power, he would have put the barrels on the side of the cargo bay closest to the Murrah Building ; however, such an unevenly distributed load might have broken an axle, flipped the truck over, or at least caused it to lean to one side, which could have drawn attention.

McVeigh later justified his killing of children in the bombing: " I didn't define the rules of engagement in this conflict.

In addition to Michael assisting McVeigh in scouting the federal building, Lori had helped McVeigh laminate a fake driver's license which was later used to rent the Ryder truck.

McVeigh is said to have had one girlfriend during his childhood, later stating to journalists he did not know how to impress girls.

McVeigh later would say that the Army taught him how to switch off his emotions.

McVeigh later said he considered " a campaign of individual assassination ," with " eligible " targets including Attorney-General Janet Reno, Judge Walter S. Smith Jr. of Federal District Court, who handled the Branch Davidian trial, and Lon Horiuchi, a member of the FBI hostage-rescue team who shot and killed Vicki Weaver in a standoff at a remote cabin at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992.

" Three days later, while still in jail, McVeigh was identified as the subject of the nationwide manhunt.

In the same affidavit, Nichols admitted that he and McVeigh stole eight cases of the gel type explosive Tovex from a Marion, Kansas quarry, some of which was later used in the Oklahoma City truck bomb.

* Timothy McVeigh was erroneously associated with the Militia by the media following his arrest, but the Michigan Militia was later cleared of any involvement with McVeigh and the Oklahoma City bombing by the FBI.

Mark also had a niece, Luella ( the daughter of Sydney's Jarrad McVeigh ), born on 25 July 2011 but she died from heart complications barely a month later.

McVeigh stated in his authorized biography that he wanted to minimize nongovernmental casualties, so he ruled out a 40-story government building in Little Rock, Arkansas, because of the presence of a florist's shop on the ground floor.

During McVeigh's trial, Lori Fortier ( the wife of Michael Fortier ) stated that McVeigh claimed to have arranged the barrels in order to form a shaped charge.

" The FBI stated that McVeigh scouted the interior of the building in December 1994 and likely knew of the day-care center before the bombing.

McVeigh stated, " Once you bloody the bully's nose, and he knows he's going to be punched again, he's not coming back around.

McVeigh stated that his only regret was not completely leveling the federal building.

" In the 2001 book American Terrorist, McVeigh stated that he did not believe in Hell and that science is his religion.

In interviews before his execution, documented in American Terrorist, McVeigh stated he decapitated an Iraqi soldier with cannon fire on his first day in the war and celebrated.

McVeigh personally stated that his attack was in response to the Waco massacre and the Ruby Ridge tragedy.

McVeigh stated, " It's a decision that I've been to-ing and fro-ing with for about eight weeks.

Gilchrist ’ s attorney stated that, " The criticism of Gilchrist around here is second only to that of Timothy McVeigh.

At the same conference, a panel devoted to Jaynes was also held, with John Limber ( University of New Hampshire ), Marcel Kuijsten, John Hainly ( Southern University ), Scott Greer ( University of Prince Edward Island ), and Brian J. McVeigh presenting relevant research.

Within 90 minutes of the explosion, Timothy McVeigh was stopped by Oklahoma State Trooper Charlie Hanger for driving without a license plate and arrested for unlawfully carrying a weapon.

Forensic evidence quickly linked McVeigh and Terry Nichols to the attack ; Nichols was arrested, and within days both were charged.

McVeigh, an American militia movement sympathizer who was a Gulf War veteran, had detonated an explosive-filled Ryder truck parked in front of the building.

McVeigh was executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001, and Nichols was sentenced to life in prison.

Michael and Lori Fortier testified against McVeigh and Nichols ; Michael was sentenced to 12 years in prison for failing to warn the U. S. government, and Lori received immunity from prosecution in exchange for her testimony.

McVeigh wore a printed T-shirt with the motto of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Sic semper tyrannis (" Thus always to tyrants ", which was shouted by John Wilkes Booth immediately after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln ) and " The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants " ( from Thomas Jefferson ).

McVeigh was arrested within 90 minutes of the explosion, as he was traveling north on Interstate 35 near Perry in Noble County, Oklahoma.

After booking McVeigh, Hanger searched his police car and found a business card McVeigh had hidden while he was handcuffed.

McVeigh was also identified by Lea McGown of the Dreamland Motel, who remembered him parking a large yellow Ryder truck in the lot ; McVeigh had signed in under his real name at the motel, using an address that matched the one on his forged license and the charge sheet at the Perry Police Station.

McVeigh's sister Jennifer was accused of illegally mailing bullets to McVeigh, but she was granted immunity in exchange for testifying against him.

McVeigh was represented by a defense counsel team of six principal attorneys led by Stephen Jones.

According to law professor Douglas O. Linder, McVeigh wanted Jones to present a " necessity defense "— which would argue that he was in " imminent danger " from the government ( that his bombing was intended to prevent future crimes by the government, such as the Waco and Ruby Ridge incidents ).

Jones also believed that McVeigh was part of a larger conspiracy, and sought to present him as " the designated patsy ", but McVeigh disagreed with Jones arguing that rationale for his defense.

They included a confession said to have been inadvertently included on a computer disk that was given to the press, which McVeigh believed seriously compromised his chances of getting a fair trial.

On June 2, 1997, McVeigh was found guilty on eleven counts of murder and conspiracy.

Although the defense argued for a reduced sentence of life imprisonment, McVeigh was sentenced to death.

" The FBI said that McVeigh scouted the interior of the building in December 1994 and likely knew of the day-care center before the bombing.

McVeigh noted that he had no knowledge that the federal offices also ran a daycare center on the second floor of the building, and noted that he might have chosen a different target if he had known about the daycare center.

According to Michel and Herbeck, McVeigh claimed not to have known there was a daycare center in the Murrah Building and said that if he had known it, in his own words:

Before his execution, McVeigh said that he did not know a day care center was in the building and that, had he known, " It might have given me pause to switch targets.