An April 4 Reuters news wire article quoted several experts on right-wing anti-government groups. Those experts claimed some groups view convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh not as a hero, but a "patsy" who undermined them.
But UAB terrorism expert Brent Smith, Ph.D., author of the 1994 book "Terrorism in America: Pipe Bombs and Pipe Dreams," disagrees, saying that most anti-government extremists view McVeigh as a hero and a martyr. "They see him as a guy who carried out the most proficient terrorist act of all time. To the true believers, McVeigh is a hero. The real dangerous extremists are more rational than to believe that McVeigh is a "patsy."
Smith said McVeigh's execution date, May 19, will become a key date for the anti-government movement.
Contact Gail Short, Media Relations, 205-934-8931/[email protected].
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