Radio Times

Review by:

Jane Rackham

In 1995 former US sergeant Timothy McVeigh blew up a government building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 men, women and children and injuring almost 700 others, before calmly walking away. Arrested and sentenced to death, McVeigh finally told his story to local reporters, and it is the tapes of those interviews that form the basis of this chilling documentary. Listening to McVeigh chuckle about how he had to wait ages for the traffic lights to turn green after lighting the truck bomb fuse or talk with pride about leaving clues so he’d be caught will sicken you. But it is, perhaps, his total lack of compassion for his victims that shocks the most.

About this programme

Martin Bashir tells the inside story of the most destructive terrorist attack on American soil prior to September 11, using audio interviews with the perpetrator, former soldier Timothy McVeigh, recorded by journalists Dan Herbeck and Lou Michel during his time in prison. McVeigh is heard discussing his military career and how it changed his view of America, and describes the planning and execution of the April 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City, which killed 168 people.

Cast and crew

Cast

Presenter

Martin Bashir

Crew

Executive Producer

Scott Hooker

Executive Producer

Keith McKay

Executive Producer

Knute Walker

Producer

Toby Oppenheimer

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