WHATEVER MCVEIGH KNEW ABOUT THE MIDDLE-EAST CONNECTION, HE TOOK TO THE GRAVE WITH HIM

WHATEVER MCVEIGH KNEW ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST CONNECTION, HE TOOK TO THE GRAVE WITH HIM
by Stella L. Jatras

April 19, 2002, marks the seven-year anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, an atrocity that shocked the county in what was, until 9/11, the worst case of terrorism ever committed on U.S. soil. A Day of Remembrance was marked in Oklahoma City with 168 seconds of silence: One for each victim. Timothy McVeigh paid with his life - and rightly so - for his role in the commission of the heinous OKC massacre, but, was he solely to blame - or was he a pawn in a much larger game?

1. Following the Oklahoma City bombing, Congressman Jim Saxton, Republican from New Jersey, stood on the floor of the House of Representatives and announced that Terry Nichols had taken four (I’ve read as many as 20) trips to the Philippines, to the southern part of Mindanao where the Abu Sayyaf hotbed of Islamic terrorists is located. "Nichols, remember, married a Filipino 'mail order' bride, then renounced his U.S. citizenship and moved to the Philippines. Even after moving back to the U.S., he made a number of trips to the Philippines that have raised many troubling and unanswered questions. According to sources who have seen the FBI's reports on the OKC-Philippines investigation, Nichols' landlord in the Philippines reported that Nichols did have a book on bomb making. And Nichols was in the Philippines during the same time periods that Ramzi Yousef [1993 World Trade Center bomber] and his terroist network were operating there." ("OKC’s Mid-East connection," William Jaspers, The New American, 14 Sep 1998).

2. Steven Emerson, considered to be one of America’s foremost authorities on terrorism, immediately pointed the finger of guilt at Islamic terrorists primarily due to the fact that the modus operandi in the Oklahoma City bombing was the same used in the bombing by Muslim terrorists of the World Trade Center in 1993. Emerson’s 1995 documentary "Jihad in America," brought him much criticism (along with death threats) from Muslim organizations. His latest book is "American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us."

3. Immediately following the bombing, there were reports that the police were looking for John Doe No. 2, believed to be connected to the bombing and described as looking Middle-Eastern and having an accent.

Nothing. Nothing further was heard from Congressman Saxton. No investigation. Nothing as to a possible Muslim terrorist connection to the Oklahoma City bombing. Steven Emerson, upon hearing that Terry Nichols and Tim McVeigh, considered to be right-wing militia extremists had been blamed for the bombing, apologized to the American Muslim communities for being too quick to lay the blame at their feet. Emerson contends that only a minority of Muslims are fundamentalists and only a minority of fundamentalists are terrorists. However, immediately following Emerson’s "Jihad in America" documentary shown on PBS, Charlie Rose hosted a discussion panel of four so-called "moderate" Muslims, some of whom were converts; yet not one of them condemned the bombing of the World Trade Center nor would they repudiate the terrorist activities nor even admit that Muslims were operating terrorist organizations in this country - despite all the evidence presented on the program. Mr. Emerson’s contention that only a minority of fundamentalists are terrorists are questionable since the shocking tragedy of 11 September and subsequent events that have all of America looking over its shoulder for more such possible suicide terrorists.

Interestingly enough, the May 17, 1995 issue of Strategic Investment, stated the following regarding The Oklahoma bombing:

"What actually happened remains a mystery. The few facts that are known are compatible with a wide range of theories about who ordered the bombing and why.

- The blast was very powerful, four times larger than the largest bomb detonated against a civilian target by the IRA. Bombs in the Middle East have been this large, however. Comparatively speaking the Oklahoma City blast was equivalent to the bomb that destroyed the Beirut Embassy.

- Our sources close to law enforcement indicate that the bombing was a sophisticated operation that would have cost at least $100,000. [both McVeigh and Nichols didn’t have two cents to rub together. Who paid for the bombs and for the many trips both made to the Philippines?]

- Two 'John Doe' suspects were sought in the bombing. One, who has not been apprehended, was said to speak in 'broken English.' Such a description is more likely to be applied in the Southwest United States to someone from the Middle East or Eastern Europe than to a Spanish speaker. Latino accents are so common as to be easily identified.

- The "John Doe" with the foreign accent appears to have eluded authorities, which implies that he is either dead, or enjoyed more organizational support from the masterminds of the bombing than did the other "John Doe," Timothy McVeigh.

- McVeigh allegedly rented the truck used in the bombing under his own name, and was apprehended while driving down the interstate in a car without license plates, which is almost an invitation to be stopped by the police.

- To all appearance, McVeigh, who was leading a hand-to-mouth existence in a trailer park, lacked the capacity to organize or fund the bombing operation himself.

- The focus on McVeigh has been the main source of political fallout from the bombing. He has been identified in the press as a ‘militia sympathizer.’ But it is not evident that McVeigh was a member of any militia group, nor is it clear what his political views were. The only published statement in his own words, a letter to the editor, suggests that he was a strong supporter of Clinton-style health care reform, who wished to see ‘democracy be combined with communism.’ A disturbed ex-soldier who allegedly left Special Forces training because he had a sub-normal IQ, McVeigh was said in press reports to have claimed that the CIA inserted microchips in his bottom."

The Strategic Investment goes on to say, "The large size of the bomb is suggestive of the modus operandi of Iranian-backed groups."

On 25 March 2002, Kenneth Timmerman of Insight Magazine wrote that a suit had been filed against the Republic of Iraq for the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. The lawsuit alleges that "the entire plot to blow up the Murrah Building on April 19, 1995, in whole or in part, was orchestrated, assisted technically and/or financially and directly aided by agents of the Republic of Iraq."

Kenneth Timmerman further reports on April 19, that, "The retirement of career FBI Special Agent Danny Defenbaugh, accused by defense attorneys and plaintiffs in the Oklahoma City bombing case of withholding key evidence, wasn't the only dramatic development in the continuing controversies surrounding the April 19, 1995, attack that killed 168 people. Insight has learned that the widow of Philippine-government intelligence agent Edwin Angeles has provided audiotaped testimony to an investigator working for the American victims' families that directly ties Iraqi intelligence agents to Terry Nichols, the man sentenced in 1998 to life in prison for his role in bombing the Alfred P. Murrah Building seven years ago."

According to Strategic Investment, it cannot be ruled out that there was a Middle-Eastern hand in the OKC bombing. Iran - Iraq, what's the difference? Both harbor terrorists.

It should be remembered that the terrorists who blew up the World Trade Center in 1993 were traced and eventually caught because of the truck and license. This time, the terrorists were not going to make the same mistake and instead got a patsy, i.e., McVeigh, to do their dirty work.

WHATEVER MCVEIGH KNEW ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST CONNECTION, HE TOOK TO THE GRAVE WITH HIM.

James Patterson of the Indianapolis Star wrote in his 17 November 2001 article titled, "Missing evidence from Oklahoma City," that "The FBI doesn’t want to talk about it, but the evidence keeps mounting. Critical evidence that several Middle Eastern men may have been connected to the Oklahoma bombing appears to have been kept from the public by the FBI. By law, such information should have been turned over to lawyers representing executed bomber Timothy McVeigh and must be given to the legal team for co-conspirator Terry Nichols, whose state case opened in an Oklahoma court two weeks ago." Patterson further writes, "Officially, the FBI has dismissed the possibility of a John Doe No. 2, an olive-skinned man whose sketch they released immediately after the bombing, or other suspects. But current and former FBI agents in Oklahoma City say they received documents pointing to another person or even a cell of Middle East operatives . . . . .Six days before McVeigh was scheduled to die at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Attorney General John Ashcroft postponed the execution because of revelations the FBI had failed to turn over more than 3,000 documents to McVeigh’s defense team. Though none of the new evidence was able to persuade the trial judge to save McVeigh, it showed that the FBI had withheld important information in the April 19, 1995 bombing."

Again, William Jaspers of The New American in his "OKC’s Mid-East connection," writes, "However, we were repeatedly reminded the Oklahoma bombing was ‘a domestic terrorist act,’ carried out by a couple of anti-government ex-Army misfits, while the others had been the work of Middle Eastern terrorist organizations. This is the conventional wisdom concerning Oklahoma City that seems to have gained almost universal acceptance. Unfortunately, as is so often the case, the conventional wisdom is dead wrong."

In a 21 Oct 2001 WorldNetDaily exclusive, "Middle East- OKC connections," Geoff Metcalf interviewed David Schippers, Chief Investigative Council for the Clinton Impeachment and author of "Sell Out, The Inside Story of President Clinton’s Impeachment." Schippers said, "I am thoroughly convinced that there was a dead-bang Middle Eastern connection with the Oklahoma City bombing. I think bin Laden was behind it. I think that there were Middle Eastern people on the scene running away."

To many of us, it seems that there were a lot of people who wanted to silence McVeigh, quickly and permanently, and it may not have had anything to do with justice. Why didn’t the terrorists of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing receive the death sentence as did Timothy McVeigh?

The revelation of the "missing evidence" clearly indicates that FBI investigators were aware of the Middle-East connection but were silent. We can only speculate as to their reasons:

a. Was the Oklahoma bombing seen as an opportunity (excuse) to go after citizens’ guns and the militia and to implement greater gun control laws?

b. Was the FBI concerned that their inability to bring terrorist groups to justice would add to the loss in confidence by the public following fiascoes such as Ruby Ridge and WACO so they looked for the quick solution of capturing a home-grown terrorist?

c. Was there an over-riding political reason for the FBI not to point the finger of guilt at any indications of Middle Eastern terrorists being involved in the bombing?

d. Was the government afraid of offending Islamic nations and of a backlash by Muslim Arab-Americans in this country? Recent news reports claim that for the same reasons Clinton shut down a 1995 investigation of Islamic charities with connections to terrorists and possible ties to the September 11 tragedy. Was Clinton more concerned with not exposing Saudi Arabia's suspected ties to a global money laundering operation that raised millions for anti-Israeli terrorists and of not offending other Muslim nations than he was with the security of this country?

So what did they do? Within a few days they leveled what remained of the Murrah Building thereby destroying any evidence that the bombing may have involved more than the truck bomb, as theorized by Brig. Gen. Ben Partin, USAF (Ret.), an expert on explosives and weapons effects.

When the American people learn the truth, that there was a cover-up of who committed the Oklahoma City bombing, the FBI and other federal agencies will suffer a further loss of confidence brought on by the agencies themselves. More important, no one will ever know if an honest investigation into a possible Middle East connection at that time might have uncovered evidence that could have prevented 9/11.

CORRECTION: There was a typo on my part. First sentence should read, "an atrocity that shocked the country," no "county."

My apologies.

I support the death penalty, but in cases like McVeigh's where there is a possibility that keeping him alive might someday allow the full story to come out, I would strongly consider keeping him alive.

He was NOT going to talk. He had that "I'm a noble hero resisting tyranny" tape playing in his head.

Either that or he knew that his family would never survive if he talked or maybe both. The guy could make a clam look like a blabber mouth.

a.cricket

Whether he did it for right-wing extremists or Islamic nuts, he still did it. I have seen no creditable proof that he was innocent. I can't see which one is worse: if he did it for Waco, he is too far out there; if he did it for Islamic nuts, he betrayed this nation. I have no sympathy for anyone who kills women and children. If you do that, there is no way you could justify it. No way.....

There have been those on FR who valiantly tried to justify McVeigh as some sort of hero, though. Usually, JimRob bans them in pretty short order, whereupon those who are smart enough to NOT directly post such evil ideas complain about "censorship" and "UnFreeRepublic."

I know there is lots of breaking news right now about additional "John Doe's", but I stand by my statement that having the possibility that McVeigh migh break his silence would be good. Unless I misunderstand what you are saying?

There's no way to condone what McVeigh was a part of...I don't think he "did" it alone. I don't think the guy had the mental capacity to put this thing together and I find it hard to believe that a single truck bomb did all the damage that we saw at the Federal Bldg.

I don't pretend to know why the real story of the OKC bombing has been covered up. Is it because, overnight, Clinton saw that he really had a club with which to attack conservatives? Again, I don't know, but I'll never believe that McVeigh and Nichols concoted this on their own.

People are capable of a lot more than we think. Like I said, I have NEVER seen any evidence that McVeigh was innocent. His "glaring" look at the audience at his execution was not the kind of face one sees on an innocent person. If anyone has any proof, (and please don't direct me to some flaked-out website with reams of pages to explain it; if it's legit, I'm sure you can boil it down to a few paragraphs with only the high points to communicate whatever you have to say), I am certainly willing to listen to it. But what kind of person would do this, whether in collusion with Muslims or the native "tin foil hat" society? We're already fired up at the Muslims for murdering 3000+ innocent people in NY and VA. It's not like help is needed to identify and wake up Americans to the Muslim threat.....

Fair witness post 4 - "I support the death penalty, but in cases like McVeigh's where there is a possibility that keeping him alive might someday allow the full story to come out, I would strongly consider keeping him alive. "

Luis Gonzalez 11 - "I would strongly consider keeping him alive."

Ahhh...you haven't kept up with this story, have you?"

Poohbah 13 - "And that line went right over FairWitness' head... :o)"

***

Post 11 looks like an incomplete quote, which post 13 may have overlooked.

It is too bad McVeigh can't talk anymore.

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