it changed the country in ways that are still being felt. people forget how different the world was when the bombing happened. and i think its feelings of safety and security because if it can happen in oklahoma city, it can happen anywhere. if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone. we became a more cautious society. barriers went up around federal buildings. you have more security. the seeds of homeland security were actually planted by timothy mcveigh. there were other changes, as well. the attack led to significant engineering improvements that allowed buildings to better withstand excessive forces, whether manmade or natural. and legislation passed in the wake of the disaster has given greater voice to the victims and families left behind by attacks like the oklahoma city bombing.
tim mcveigh said he never went there. there are people, however, who claim to have seen mcveigh at elohim city. and probably the strongest evidence that he was there is a ticket he received from an arkansas highway patrolman about four miles into arkansas from oklahoma on a road that takes you straight to elohim city. so if he wasn t at elohim city, where was he? timothy mcveigh made some calls to elohim city. he drove near the area, we know, but beyond that, any connection to elohim city or the notion that there were others involved is speculation heaped on top of speculation. but even assuming others were involved, why would mcveigh so strongly insist that he acted alone? with help only from nichols and fortier?
in his distorted world view, his actions were a justifiable response to what he called violence perpetrated by the government against its own people. defense attorney stephen jones knew a necessity case was unwinnable so he chose a different course, arguing that mcveigh was only part of a much larger conspiracy. the greatest mystery of the oklahoma city bombing case is who else, besides tim mcveigh, terry nichols, and michael fortier were involved? because there were most assuredly others. much of the speculation centered on the man reportedly seen with mcveigh at the truck rental company. known as john doe number two, the description did not fit either terry nichols or michael fortier. investigators concluded that john doe number two never existed. we found a gentleman that had
threatened him, may have threatened to kill him. on the morning of april 19th, mcveigh, now on his own, drives the ryder truck into oklahoma city. at 8:57 a.m., security cameras at the regency tower apartment building a few blocks west of the murrah building catch the ryder truck parked across the street. investigators surmise this is when mcveigh lights the first fuse. a few minutes later, mcveigh moves the truck up, lights the second fuse and parks on the north side of the murrah building. he then exits the truck and begins walking rapidly to the yellow mercury parked four blocks away. at the federal building, the workday is starting. hundreds of people are already inside.
everybody, let s get out of here now. watch the electricity lines. watch the lines. oh my god, hurry. okay. i m ready. okay. let s go. tammy, you can see thick black smoke billowing from the federal court building downtown. we are seeing literally dozens of people that are bleeding. some of them you can t even make them out. they are so badly injured. the impact was immediate and nationwide. an explosion in oklahoma city with worldwide implications and enormous consequences. the bombing has sent shock waves through washington. there is increased security nationwide. the pentagon has activated its emergency disaster response. it could be a contractor. it could be a wacko. it could be a professional. you don t have to be a rocket scientists to create this kind of bomb. as the smoke began to clear, two questions reverberated across the country, who and why? the answers would be shocking. the man behind the devastation was an american. his name, timothy mcveigh. tim mcv