Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh is reviewing his options following the announcement of a delay in his execution because of revelations that evidence was withheld before his trial, his lawyer said today.
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Timothy McVeigh
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"He is willing to take a fresh look and evaluate the information", Mr Rob Nigh told reporters outside the federal prison near Terre Haute after meeting with McVeigh. He spoke just hours after Attorney General Mr John Ashcroft announced a 30-day delay in the execution planned for Wednesday.
"He is distressed about this", he said of the revelation that the FBI had uncovered evidence that was not given to the33-year-old McVeigh's lawyers before the trial in which he was convicted of killing 168 people in the worst crime of its type ever committed on US soil.
McVeigh was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on May 16th and had earlier waved his final appeal.
"Mr McVeigh is very resilient. He is capable of evaluating new information and making a decision based on upon that information", Mr Nigh added.
Earlier today Mr Ashcroft announced the decision to delay the execution at a hastily arranged news conference.
"I have made a decision to postpone the execution of Timothy McVeigh for one month from this day so that the execution would occur on June 11, 2001, in an effort to allow his attorneys ample and adequate time to review these documents and to take any action they might deem appropriate...", Mr Ashcroft said.
Mr Ashcroft said the FBI had not fully complied with its agreement on how to handle evidence in McVeigh's case and he was therefore also ordering the Justice Department's Inspector General to launch an investigation into the incident.
He declined to say what may have caused the delay in turning over the documents.