The FBI postponed the execution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh after discovering 3,135 documents about the investigation that McVeigh’s defense lawyers had not had a chance to review. The delay was a blow to the agency, which had spent $82 million and used half its agents to get the case right. The embarrassment also raised questions about whether the government was competent enough to see a death penalty case through in a fair and just way.
TIME Covers Terrorism Throughout the Years
“Botching The Big Case”
May 21, 2001
Full List
TIME Covers
- “Tower Terror”
- “Unabomber: Tracking Down the Unabomber”
- “Oklahoma City: Blow to the Heart”
- “Terror’s Venue”
- “What’s Wrong at the FBI?”
- “Botching The Big Case”
- “If You Want To Humble An Empire”
- “A Clear And Present Danger”
- “The Fear Factor”
- “The Shoe Bomber’s World”
- “Can We Stop The Next 9/11?”
- “Rush Hour Terror”
- The Fort Hood Killer: Terrified … or Terrorist?