Oklahoma bomber seeks TV coverage of his execution

Oklahoma bomber seeks TV coverage of his execution
Agence France Presse

Washington, Feb 11: Timothy McVeigh, sentenced to death for his role in the April 1995 bombing of an Oklahoma City office building that killed 168 people, called in a letter published today for “public broadcast” of his execution.In a letter to the newspaper the Daily Oklahoman, McVeigh said authorities should hold “a true ’public’ execution” when he is put to death, in the interest of what he called “equal access” for the scores of survivors and victims who wish to attend.

McVeigh is scheduled to die on May 16 by lethal injection for his role in planning and carrying out the bombing, which was the most deadly act of terrorism on US soil.

In addition to those who died in the attack, more than 500 people were injured, and hundreds of victims and their relatives have requested permission to watch McVeigh’s execution - far more than prison officials can accomodate. “It has also been said that ‘all of Oklahoma’ was a victim of the bombing,” McVeigh wrote in his letter to the newspaper, dated February one, 2001.

“Can ’all of Oklahoma’ watch” the execution, he asked.

In addition, he suggested in the letter that members of the media be allowed “to view the execution via closed-circuit telecast.”