Star witness in Okla. bombing goes free

Fortier, 37, has served about 85 percent of a 12-year sentence in federal prison. He received a plea deal in which he agreed to testify in the trials of bombing co-conspirators Timothy Mc-Veigh and Terry Nichols.

His attorney, Michael Mc-Guire, said Friday afternoon that he would not reveal the exact time or location of Fortier's release. He also would not say who met Fortier or where he would live.

McGuire said previously that he expected Fortier to be met by family members.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has consistently refused to release any information about Fortier, prompting speculation that he may be entering into a witness-protection program.

Fortier, who is originally from Kingman, Ariz., has a wife, Lori Fortier, and they have two children. He is getting out now because of time off for good behavior and will be subject to three years of supervised probation, McGuire said.

"He's always told me that he prays for the victims every day and it bears on his conscience every waking moment," McGuire said.

At state and federal bombing trials, Fortier testified he received stolen weapons that were sold to finance the bombing, shared money from their sale with McVeigh, handled blasting caps and other explosives and had the same anti-government literature that McVeigh gave Nichols.

Fortier also accompanied McVeigh to case the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building four months before it was bombed on April 19, 1995, killing 168 people.

Stephen Jones, who represented McVeigh at his federal bombing trial, said Fortier's sentence seems out of line with the much harsher sentences received by McVeigh and Nichols: McVeigh was convicted on federal murder charges and executed on June 11, 2001. Nichols was convicted of state and federal bombing charges and is serving multiple life prison sentences.