
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, August 6, 1995                   TAG: 9508070120
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: OKLAHOMA CITY                                LENGTH: Medium

THIRD BOMBING SUSPECT EXPECTED TO CUT A DEAL

The government is preparing to seek grand jury indictments of at least three people in the Oklahoma City bombing case, including Michael Fortier, a friend of the two principal suspects who is expected to plead guilty and become a key government witness, sources close to the case said Saturday.

A gun enthusiast who has a deep distrust of the federal government, Fortier is not expected to be named as a direct participant in the April 19 bombing of the federal office building - the worst mass murder on U.S. soil.

Rather, the sources said, authorities are considering asking the grand jury to indict the 26-year-old Kingman, Ariz., man for knowing about the bombing conspiracy without alerting authorities, giving false statements to federal agents and trafficking in illegal weapons.

Also expected to be named as defendants in the long-awaited grand jury indictments, which could come as early as Thursday, are Fortier's former Army buddies, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.

The indictment, although it will raise the possibility that other conspirators ``both known and unknown'' exist, will be the first official confirmation that the government does not believe a large number of individuals carried out the blast.

This could alleviate some fears among the public of large-scale conspiracies involving potential domestic terrorism in this country. At the same time, the conclusion that as few as three seemingly ordinary men could kill so many people because they bear a grudge against the government is likely to prompt calls around the country for more precautionary steps by federal authorities and tighter security measures.

It was also learned Saturday that McVeigh has been asked to testify before the grand jury.

Lead prosecutor Joseph H. Hartzler said in a letter to McVeigh's defense attorney, Stephen Jones of Enid, Okla., that ``your client is a target'' of the federal grand jury's investigation.

Inviting a target of a federal grand jury to testify before the panel is usually not done because prosecutors expect the individual to refuse to do so, and they are no under no legal obligation to ask him to appear, according to Victoria Toensing, a former deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's criminal division.

Jones, maintaining McVeigh's innocence, said he does not want his client to testify because doing so would provide prosecutors with a preview of their defense. He said he is especially bothered that the government has refused to share any of its evidence with the defense, and renewed allegations that some key witnesses have been advised by the FBI not to cooperate with defense investigators.

Jones said he instead will urge the government to explore alternative theories that he said could lead to someone other than McVeigh as the bomber.

Michael E. Tigar, Nichols' defense attorney, could not be reached for comment Saturday. It was unclear whether he received a similar letter.

by CNB