It would also be the first national party convention since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing , which sparked heightened concerns over terrorism . The possibility that the explosion of TWA Flight 800 weeks before was a terrorist incident also weighed on convention planners . The Convention Center was located on the waterfront , near a harbor frequented by thousands of small boats — upon one of which Dole and Kemp made their ceremonial arrival . The police , Coast Guard , and other security presence was massive
TWA Flight 800
TWA Flight 800
1996 Republican National Convention