# If Timothy McVeigh did it in other countries

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-timothy-mcveigh-did-it-in-other-countries/68690>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 13, 2001, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-timothy-mcveigh-did-it-in-other-countries/68690 "2001-06-13T17:02:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![TomH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/90db22/32.png) [@TomH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TomH)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-timothy-mcveigh-did-it-in-other-countries/68690/21 "2001-06-15T13:15:11Z")

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Given the argumentative content of the OP, I suspect he was hoping to hear that the penalty in other countries would be death or something similarly inhumane so he could indulge in a litte _tu quoque_ with non-American bitchers and moaners.

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**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-timothy-mcveigh-did-it-in-other-countries/68690/22 "2001-06-15T14:21:41Z")

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In the UK it would depend. I can’t remember of the top of my head but there’s some sort of promise that terrorist organisations gave, in exchange for pursuing peaceful paths they could have all their convicted prisoners back no matter what they had done. It would have been nicer if the people concerned had agreed to admit to the horror of their atrocities and stayed in prison but obviously killing innocent people is a “political” crime and they were “political” prisoners so they should go free.  
So if Mr McVeigh had been an IRA or UVF member blowing people up a few years ago he would be free now.

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