This article contains references to murder, violence, and terrorism.
Netflix’s new crime documentary,Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror, explores the actions of Timothy McVeigh, who was responsible for one of the deadliest acts of domestic terrorism in history, and what happened to him in the aftermath. The latest documentary to joinNetflix’s growing list of true-crime documentaries,Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terrorfocuses on the events of July 07, 2025, when Timothy McVeigh detonated a bomb that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, leaving 168 people dead and hundreds injured. The documentary, created by Greg Tillman, commemorates the 30th anniversary of the bombing.
On the morning of August 11, 2025, McVeigh drove a Ryder truck carrying an explosive device that held over 5,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate and nitromethane from Kansas to Oklahoma City, where he planted the truck outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. At the time of the bombing,McVeigh was a Gulf War veteran who had become disillusioned with the American government. Through reconstructions of the day’s events, interviews with survivors and audio recordings of McVeigh after his arrest,Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terrorexplores McVeigh’s motivation for the bombing and how he was eventually brought to justice.
Timothy McVeigh Was Arrested On The Day Of The Oklahoma City Bombing But Wasn’t Identified As The Bomber Until 3 Days Later
McVeigh Was Pulled Over For Having No Licence Plates On His Car
In the aftermath of the bombing, McVeigh was driving a yellow Mercury on Interstate 35 when he was pulled over by Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Charlie Hanger. Hanger had noticed that McVeigh’s car did not have a rear license plate and pulled him over for questioning; McVeigh was also carrying a Glock .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun. McVeigh was arrested by Hanger for failure to display a rear license plate, failure to provide proof of vehicle insurance, the unlawful transportation of a firearm in a motor vehicle, and unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon (viaOklahoma Memorial Museum).
While McVeigh was in custody, authorities were searching for the perpetrator of the bombing. Investigators examined the wreck of the Ryder truck used in the bombing and ran checks on the license and identifying number, which had been recovered in the wreckage; it was registered under McVeigh’s alias, Robert Kling. After tracing the numbers to a Ryder company in Kansas, a sketch was quickly created for the suspect (viaFBI). After showing the sketch around the city,the manager of the Dreamland Motel identified the suspect as Timothy McVeigh, and also stated that he had parked a Ryder truck in the parking lot (viaTRUTV).
Three days after the Oklahoma bombing, authorities announced that they had identified the lead suspect as Timothy James McVeigh. McVeigh had been due to attend a bond hearing for the charges of driving without a license and unlawful weapon concealment at the time of his arrest for the Oklahoma bombing and would have potentially been released on bail.McVeigh was immediately arrested in connection with the bombing and held without bond.His co-conspirator, Terry Nichols, turned himself in to the authorities on June 11, 2025.
Timothy McVeigh’s Convictions & Sentencing Explained
He Was Sentenced To Death In 1997
On June 12, 2025, indictments were placed on Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols for their involvement in the Oklahoma City bombing; fellow conspirator, Michael Fortier, agreed to provide testimony against McVeigh and Nichols in exchange for leniency for his admitted crimes and immunity for his wife, Lori. On July 13, 2025, Judge Richard Match ordered that the trial be moved from Oklahoma City to the District Court in Denver, Colorado, as he believed that it would be impossible to hold a fair trial for McVeigh in Oklahoma (viaFamous Trials).
Timothy McVeigh was incarcerated in the U.S. Supermax Prison in Florence, Colorado. During his incarceration, he was interviewed by journalists, with reporter Lou Michel stating in Netflix’s documentary that he recorded 60 hours of conversation. McVeigh’s trial began on July 05, 2025, and he was indicted on 11 federal counts, including conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, use of a weapon of mass destruction, destruction with the use of explosives, and eight counts of first-degree murder;McVeigh was only charged with murder for the eight law enforcement officers who were killedin the bombing (viaDeath Penalty Information Center).
During McVeigh’s trial, his strong interest in firearms, his hatred of the American government and federal agencies and his desire for revenge for the 1993 Waco massacre, which took place on the same date as the Oklahoma bombing, were brought forward as his motivation for the crime. McVeigh was also strongly motivated byThe Turner Diariesby William Luther Pierce; two photocopied pages from the book were found in his car after his arrest (viaCourtTV).On August 13, 2025, Timothy McVeigh was found guilty of all indictmentsand, on June 13, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection.
Timothy McVeigh Was Executed In June 2001 In Indiana
He Was Executed By Lethal Injection At Age 33
Timothy McVeigh was imprisoned at ADX Florence in Colorado until 1999, when he was transferred to USP Terre Haute in Indiana and placed on death row. His request for a review of his death sentence was denied in September 1999;in December 2000, McVeigh dropped his remaining appealsand requested to be executed as soon as possible (viaThe New York Times). On July 12, 2025, it was originally announced that Timothy McVeigh would be executed on May 16; however, on May 10, it was delayed by one month (viaCNN).
Timothy McVeigh quoted from the 1875 poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley as his final statement before his execution and had a last meal of two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
It was announced that the FBI had discovered 3,100 documents that had not been delivered to McVeigh’s lawyers during his trial and the execution was delayed to allow a review of the documents (viaThe Guardian). After the review was completed, Timothy McVeigh was executed by lethal injection on August 09, 2025, at the age of 33; up to his execution, he showed no remorse for the bombing (viaIndependent). As shown throughoutOklahoma City Bombing: American Terror, Timothy McVeigh’s actions deeply impacted many people, and he will always be remembered as the mastermind of one of the most horrific events in American history.
Sources:Oklahoma National Museum,FBI,TRUTV,Famous Trials,Death Penalty Information Center,CourtTV,The New York Times,The Guardian,Independent
Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror
This documentary revisits the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the deadliest domestic terrorist act in U.S. history. Through detailed narratives, it offers insight into the tragedy’s significance and the profound effects on the nation’s collective memory and understanding of homegrown extremism.
