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Bush Honors Victims Of 1995 Oklahoma City Blast
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, Feb 19 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - President George W. Bush paid tribute Monday to the 149 adults and 19 children killed in the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil, dedicating a museum commemorating the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
"The time for mourning may pass, but the time for remembering never does," Bush told a crowd including victims' families and rescuers outside the Oklahoma City National Memorial Center, which the president praised as "powerful."
"Memorials do not take away the pain. They cannot fill the emptiness, but they can make a place in time and tell the value of what was lost. The debris is gone and the building is no more. Now this is a place of peace and remembrance and life," said the U.S. leader.
Just after 9:00 am (1400 GMT) April 19, 1995, a homemade bomb in a rented truck parked outside the Alfred P. Murrah federal building exploded, killing 168 people and injuring some 500 more.
Visitors to the memorial center, where stopped clocks forever read 9:02 am, can view photographs of the tragedy, shredded file cabinets, and personal effects such as keys, shoes and clothes.
Friday, convicted bomber Timothy McVeigh, 32, let a midnight deadline for a clemency appeal against his execution pass without taking action, ending any prospect of a reprieve. He is set to be executed at a federal prison May 16th.
Prosecutors says McVeigh masterminded the attack in retaliation for what he perceived as the government's mishandling of the deadly siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas in 1993.
Initially, before McVeigh was apprehended for the bombing, both the media within the United States and "terrorist experts", laid blame on Muslims for the blast. Accusations later found to be baseless.
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