What drives a terrorist bomber? In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, with three dead and more than 280 injured, few answers have yet emerged about the motivations of the attackers. But files requested by MuckRock user Jason Smathers shed light on the psyche of another bomber: Timothy McVeigh, convicted for the Oklahoma City Bombing which killed 168 people and injured more than 800.

McVeigh’s files reveal the mundane details of his life awaiting execution, including medical and prison interviews, letters to him, and the media obsession with the killer. Released after an almost two-year FOIA battle by Smathers, the documents are now freely downloadable from the request page.

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