McVeigh Friend Charged in Oklahoma City Bombing : Blast: Terry Nichols is held in prison as possible participant in explosion. Sealed affidavit of accusations to be opened at a hearing today.

Becoming the second man charged with being directly involved in the bombing of the federal building here, Terry L. Nichols was whisked to an Oklahoma prison Wednesday in handcuffs and a bulletproof vest as prosecutors described him as a right-wing extremist who has lived, worked and soldiered with fellow defendant Timothy J. McVeigh.

Nichols was charged under a federal anti-terrorism law as a direct participant in the bombing, not just as a conspirator. He also faces charges of aiding and abetting the crime.

Nichols, 40, is to appear at a court hearing today at the El Reno federal correctional institution near here--the same prison that holds McVeigh and where guards have been on a heavy security watch.

At the hearing, the government is expected to unveil a lengthy affidavit outlining its evidence against Nichols and detailing a series of steps that it believes he and McVeigh took in assembling the bomb and transporting it to downtown Oklahoma City.

According to sources, the affidavit is still sealed to allow more time for investigators and a federal grand jury to talk to more potential witnesses without them first hearing news accounts of the evidence against Nichols.

Authorities said they do not want the witnesses to tailor their stories to what they learn is the government’s case in the April 19 bombing.

The explosion destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 167 people and injuring 400 others. One rescue worker also died. Another two victims still are unaccounted for amid the tons of wrecked mortar along Oklahoma City’s 5th Street.

Nichols surrendered voluntarily at his home in Herington, Kan., just two days after the bombing. He had been held at a federal prison in Wichita, Kan., and appeared at a court hearing there Wednesday.

Nichols, a wiry man with glasses, spoke only briefly at the hearing, acknowledging that he understood he was being transferred to Oklahoma City to face trial in the bombing case. Like McVeigh, he faces life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.

But for most of the session, held under heavy guard by U.S. marshals and other federal agents, Nichols read silently to himself from a thick book on federal criminal court procedures.

“I think he’s well informed of what’s going on,” Steve Gradert, one of Nichols’ public defenders, said after the hearing. “I think he’s pretty scared.”

Prosecutors have described a close relationship between Nichols and McVeigh. The two men joined the Army together, prosecutors said. After leaving the service, they ran a military surplus business, sometimes lived in the same home and often traveled together between Oklahoma and Kansas.

Officials have noted that Nichols told investigators that just three days before the bombing, he drove back from Oklahoma City to Kansas with McVeigh and that his friend told him that “something big is going to happen.”

In addition, federal sources have said they found a receipt for bomb parts in Nichols’ home that bears McVeigh’s fingerprints. The search of his home also turned up firearms, ammunition and an antitank rocket launcher, as well as ammonium nitrate fertilizer and blue plastic barrels, possible bomb components that match fragments found at the scene.

As he left the courtroom for Oklahoma City, again under heavy guard, a woman in the crowd outside yelled, “Baby killer!”

Both prosecutors and defense attorneys appeared relieved that Nichols finally was being transferred to Oklahoma. They said the case against both Nichols and McVeigh should move more quickly now that both of them are being held in El Reno.

“My desire was to get him down there absolutely as quickly as we could,” said U.S. Atty. Randy Rathbun. “So I’m pleased that things went smoothly today, and I’ll be glad when he’s back down in Oklahoma.”

“In some aspects of it,” said another defense attorney, David Phillips, “it’s good for him that he has been charged so he can get his attorneys appointed and the defense in this case can really get under way.”

Also arriving here Wednesday was Nichols’ ex-wife, Lana Padilla, and their son, Joshua Nichols, both of Las Vegas.

Padilla is expected to testify before the grand jury about her husband’s activities in the months leading up to the bombing. Twelve-year-old Joshua is not expected to go before the panel.

Some authorities theorize that Joshua might be the so-called John Doe No. 2 reportedly seen with McVeigh at the bombing scene. The youth, who is husky and appears older than his age, does bear some resemblance to the composite drawing of John Doe No. 2. Sources also said he was with his father in the days before the bombing.

But family friends insist that Joshua does not wear a baseball cap and does not have a tattoo--two key characteristics in the profile of the John Doe No. 2 composite.

In another development, Stephen Jones of Enid, Okla., the new attorney for McVeigh, said in an interview that his client will plead not guilty soon. The lawyer also plans to have McVeigh undergo a psychological examination to determine if he is mentally capable to stand trial.

Serrano reported from Oklahoma City and Ostrow from Washington.