Lawyers prepare in case McVeigh calls for execution delay

Lawyers for the Oklahoma City bomber are preparing documents that will let them file for a delay of his execution should he authorise the move.

Timothy McVeigh is expected to make a decision after meeting with two of his lawyers at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.

In Denver, lawyer Nathan Chambers says he is prepared to file documents seeking the delay if McVeigh agrees.

Meanwhile, Attorney General John Ashcroft has reiterated his vow to fight any further delay of McVeigh's execution, saying the death sentence should go ahead as planned on June 11.

"A jury determined that the death penalty is the appropriate punishment for McVeigh, and failure to carry out that sentence would deny justice for the victims of this crime and for the American people," Mr Ashcroft said.

McVeigh's execution, initially set for May 16, was postponed after the Justice Department turned over about 4,000 FBI documents it admits should have been given to McVeigh's lawyers during his trial.

McVeigh is to receive a lethal injection for the 1995 bombing that killed 168 people and injured hundreds of others. If the execution occurs as planned, he would be the first federal prisoner executed in 38 years.

Last December, McVeigh went against his lawyer's advice and asked a federal judge to stop further appeals. He also requested an execution date.