New Exhibits Coming to OKC Bombing Memorial

Some of the evidence used to convict Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols in the Oklahoma City bombing will be put on public display for the first time:

FBI evidence used to convict Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols goes on display Friday at the Oklahoma City bombing memorial, even as a congressman and others continue to raise questions about the 1995 explosion that killed 168 people.

The display includes items ranging from mangled pieces of the truck used in the explosion to the automatic Glock handgun taken from McVeigh when he was arrested by a state trooper 90 miles from the bombing site.

"Hopefully, the exhibit will answer some of the questions the public has regarding the investigation," said Nancy Coggins, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. "The evidence we have on display was never viewed by the public because of the nature of the closed trials."

Charlie Hangar, the trooper who stopped McVeigh because his 1977 Mercury Marquis did not have a license plate, was scheduled to attend the exhibit's opening.
Kari Watkins, executive director of the museum, said conspiracy theories will always be linked to the bombing.

"This exhibit is not going to make those theories go away, nor will anything else," Watkins said. "What it does show is methodical police work at all levels and how they worked together without boundaries to solve this crime."

I've visited the Memorial twice, once in early 2002 and against last Fall, and it's something everyone should see. They've done a nice job remembering the victims as well as recounting the many heroes of that day (you can see a couple of pictures here).