The following is a chronology of the Oklahoma City bombing case:
April 19th, 1995: Huge explosion destroys Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City at 9.02 a.m. Less than 90 minutes later, Timothy McVeigh is stopped for driving with no licence plate near Billings, Oklahoma, and jailed for carrying a concealed weapon.
April 20th: FBI releases sketches of two possible suspects dubbed John Doe No. 1 and No. 2; investigators conclude bomb was in a Ryder truck rented in Kansas.
April 21st: Just before he is due to be released, McVeigh is recognised as a bombing suspect, turned over to FBI, and formally charged with bombing. His former army colleague Terry Nichols surrenders in Kansas and is held as material witness.
May 4th: Search of Murrah building ends with death toll at 167, including 19 children and a nurse killed during rescue effort; toll later rises to 168.
May 10th: Nichols is charged in bombing.
August 9th: Michael Fortier, another army colleague, agrees to testify against McVeigh in plea bargain deal.
August 10th: Federal grand jury hands down 15-page indictment of McVeigh and Nichols, listing all 168 victims. Fortier indicted separately for knowing of plan but concealing his knowledge from investigators.
February 20th, 1996: US District Court Judge Richard Matsch moves McVeigh trial from Oklahoma City to Denver to ensure fair hearing.
February 28th 1997: Dallas Morning News reports McVeigh admitted planting the bomb to his defence lawyers.
March 31st: Jury selection begins in McVeigh trial.
April 22nd: Jury of seven men and five women is selected to hear the case against McVeigh.
April 24th: Opening statements begin in case of McVeigh, who pleads not guilty to conspiracy, bombing and first-degree murder.
May 21st: After presenting 137 witnesses in 18 days the prosecution rests. Prosecutors argue McVeigh is a right-wing fanatic driven to carry out the bombing by hatred of the government because of the way federal agents handled the Waco siege in 1993.
May 28th: Defence rests after calling 25 witnesses in four days, saying authorities arrested the wrong man. The defence says the real bomber may have died in the blast.
June 2nd: Jury finds McVeigh guilty on all 11 counts.
June 13th: Jury sentences McVeigh to death.
August 14th: McVeigh formally sentenced to death.
September 29th: Trial of Terry Nichols begins in Denver.
December 23rd: Jury convicts Nichols of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter, but he is acquitted of taking part in the bombing.
January 7th, 1998: Nichols jury deadlocks on whether he should get the death penalty.
June 4th: Judge Matsch sentences Nichols to life in prison without chance of parole.
December 12th, 2000: Mc Veigh asks Judge Matsch to halt all appeals and set date for his execution.
December 28th: Judge Matsch grants McVeigh's wish.
January 16th, 2001: US government sets May 16th execution date.
April 3rd: McVeigh admits to the crime in interviews with Buffalo News. In interviews, published in book American Terrorist, McVeigh also describes death of 19 children as "collateral damage".
May 11th: Government admits it failed to turn over some documents to McVeigh's defence team before trial. Attorney General John Ashcroft delays execution from May 16th to June 11th.
May 31st: McVeigh asks Judge Matsch to delay execution further because he says failure of government to turn over the documents amounted to a "fraud on the court."
June 6th: Judge Matsch denies McVeigh request for a further delay in execution. Mc Veigh appeals ruling.
June 7th: Appeals court refuses to intervene. McVeigh refuses to take appeal to US Supreme Court so execution set to go ahead on June 11th.
June 10th: Prison officials move McVeigh from death row to place of execution.