Fortier’s Wife Testifies in Bomb Case as Probe Is Drawing to End

The wife of Michael Fortier, a close friend of accused bomber Timothy J. McVeigh, testified Tuesday before a federal grand jury here as authorities neared completion of their four-month investigation of the federal building explosion.

As one of the panel’s final witnesses, Lori Fortier spoke to the grand jury for about two hours behind closed doors at the grand jury’s secret meeting room at Tinker Air Force Base.

Her attorney, Mack Martin of Oklahoma City, declined to discuss the nature of her testimony. But he stressed that she had been granted immunity from prosecution in the case on Monday and that she was not made to testify against her husband.

Rather, the lawyer said, Mrs. Fortier told the grand jury only about “other people” who may have been involved. He declined to elaborate, except to emphasize that his client was never a target of the massive federal investigation into the April 19 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building that took the lives of 168 people and injured hundreds of others.

“Her testimony had nothing to do with Michael Fortier,” Martin said. “She was testifying against two other people in the bombing.”

Martin added that, to protect his client, “We made it clear up front that she would not testify--period--unless the testimony was compelled and there was a grant of immunity.”

Martin also said that he saw Michael Fortier and his lawyer, Michael McGuire of Oklahoma City, outside the grand jury room Tuesday. He added he assumed they were there because Michael Fortier would be called to testify.

Testimony by the Fortiers is seen as the last step for prosecutors as they finish presenting evidence to the grand jury this week in support of indictments in the case. Any indictments in the case must be returned by Friday and sources have said that at least three men, including Michael Fortier, McVeigh and their Army buddy, Terry L. Nichols, will be charged.

McVeigh and Nichols are expected to be named as primary conspirators. But Fortier’s criminal involvement may be limited to having knowledge of the bombing but failing to alert authorities, sources said.