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WEBVTT THANKS FOR JOINING AT 10:00, I’M ABIGAIL OGLE. JERRY VARNELL IS CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTING TO BUILD A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION TO DESTROY THE BANCFIRST DOWNTOWN. THE FBI BLEW UP A 1000 PALM BOMB -- POUND BOMB TO ILLUSTRATE VARNELL’S PLAN WHICH HE MADE RIGHT HERE IN THIS BUNKER. HIS ATTORNEY SAYS THIS ISN’T ACCURATE. >> HE HAD THE KNOWLEDGE AND THE SKILL, MAYBE NOT THE FINITE DETAILS BUT HE WAS GETTING TO , THAT POINT. ABIGAIL: POLICE SAY 23-YEAR-OLD JERRY DRAKE VARNELL ATTEMPTED TO BUILD A CAR BOMB. THE FBI SAYS SOMEONE TOLD THEM ABOUT HIS PLAN IN DECEMBER OF 2016. THAT’S WHEN AN UNDERCOVER AGENT STEPPED IN. ONCE WE WERE AWARE OF HIS INTENT , WE WERE CONTROLLING THE SITUATION FROM BEGINNING TO END SO THERE WAS NEVER A THREAT TO , ANY CITIZENS IN OKLAHOMA. ABIGAIL: THE FBI HELPED GIVE HIM EXPLOSIVES THAT WERE INERT, TO HELP MAKE THE BOMB. >> THE OKLAHOMA CITY BOMB WAS A 6,000 POUND AMPLE BOMB THIS WAS A 1,000 POUND BOMB. ABIGAIL: FBI AGENTS BUILT AND DETONATED A BOMB TO DEMONSTRATE THE DEVESTATION IT COULD HAVE CAUSED. >> A THOUSAND POUNDS IS STILL QUITE A BIT, THAT’S ALMOST HALF A TON. YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT A GIANT CRATER, YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT A LARGE SCALE INVESTIGATION. ABIGAIL: ATTORNEY STEPHEN JONES WHO ONCE REPRESENTED TIMOTHY MCVEIGH BELIEVES THE FBI LURED JERRY VARNELL. >> GOVERNMENT ENCOURAGEMENT. THEN, IT WENT FURTHER. HE WAS STRUNG ALONG AND HE WAS PLACED IN A TRAP. ABIGAIL: AND VARNELL’S ATTORNEY SAYS THESE NEW PICTURES ARE UNFAIR AND INACCURATE AND SAYS THE JURY SHOULDN’T EVEN BE ALLOWED TO SEE THEM. HIS LAWYER CLAIMS THE FBI’S BOMB " "NOT CONSTRUCTED WITH SIMILAR MATERIALS." I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT JERRY VARNELL WAS FOUND MENTALLY COMPETENT TO STAND TRIAL.

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A Sayre man who attempted to bomb a downtown Oklahoma City bank has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.Jerry Drake Varnell was sentenced to serve 25 years, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, for attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction at BancFirst in downtown Oklahoma City, United States Attorney Timothy J. Downing of the Western District of Oklahoma, Special Agent-in-Charge Melissa R. Godbold of the FBI’s Oklahoma City Field Office, and Chief Wade Gourley of the Oklahoma City Police Department made the announcement.In February 2019, a federal jury deliberated for four hours before they returned a unanimous verdict of guilty on one count of attempting to use an explosive device to damage a building used in interstate commerce and one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against property used in interstate commerce, officials said.The FBI arrested Varnell on Aug. 12, 2017, after they said he tried to detonate what he believed to be an explosives-laden van he had parked in an alley next to BancFirst at 101 North Broadway. The arrest was the culmination of a long-term domestic terrorism investigation involving an undercover operation, during which Varnell had been monitored closely for months as the bomb plot developed, federal officials said. The explosives were inert, and the public was not in danger. The FBI had received information that Varnell initially wanted to blow up the Federal Reserve Building in Washington, D.C., with a device similar to the one used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing because he was upset with the government.On Oct. 17, 2017, a federal grand jury charged Varnell with attempting to use an explosive device to damage and destroy BancFirst’s corporate offices. After a psychological evaluation, the court entered an order on Nov. 21, 2017, that found him competent to stand trial, according to officials. The grand jury returned a superseding indictment on April 17, 2018, that added one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.At trial, officials said the jury heard testimony from an informant who made recordings of his conversations with Varnell. It also heard from the undercover FBI agent who helped Varnell build what he thought was a bomb, an FBI bomb technician, and others. The jury listened to numerous recordings in which Varnell planned the attack and reviewed numerous written electronic communications that corroborated his intent. The jury heard the testimony of a defense expert concerning Varnell’s mental health. Through its verdict, the jury concluded any mental health problems did not prevent Varnell from forming the intent required for conviction. It also determined the FBI did not entrap him, according to officials.