UPDATE
Check out the update thread here for any new updates.
END UPDATE
UPDATE 10/5 0110hrs
Reminder, check the bottom of this post for the latest updates to this story.
UPDATE 10/4 1620hrs
NORMAN, Okla. — The general manager of a Norman feed store said Tuesday that Joel Henry Hinrichs III had inquired about purchasing a significant amount of ammonium nitrate, the primary ingredient used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
Dustin Ellison, the general manager of Ellison Feed & Seed on Porter Avenue, said that a man matching Hinrichs’ description had come into the store days before he blew himself up on OU’s campus. Ellison said the man asked about ammonium nitrate, but couldn’t offer a reason why he needed it.
After the bombing, Ellison said he thought nothing of it. However, when he saw Hinrichs’ photo, it triggered his memory.
To this point, authorities still suggest Hinrichs’ only motive for blowing himself up was suicide. The FBI released a statement Tuesday evening saying that “there is no known link between Hinrichs and any terrorist or extremist organization(s) or activities.”
The release also indicated that the FBI believes there is “no known current threat posed by any additional explosive materials.”
Ellison noted that his store doesn’t carry ammonium nitrate any longer after recent legislation required new paperwork for stores to sell the product.
UPDATE 10/4 1545hrs
Apparently the local CBS affiliate in OKC had a report that Hinrichs has been known to visit the local Islamic center around the corner from his apartment and that he had recently attempted to buy ammonium nitrate. Stay tuned
UPDATE 10/4 1510hrs
I’ve been updating the timeline today, scroll down for the latest.
More and more it appears that the roommate of Henrichs is a Middle Eastern young man and that jihad material was removed from his apartment. This has not been confirmed yet. Stay tuned.
Funny how the MSM is not reporting anything other then this was a guy committing suicide.
UPDATE 10/3 1900hrs
It has become apparent that this was a depressed young man who may have fallen into the clutches of Fanatical Islam.
Check the below update for more.
UPDATE 10/2 1940hrs
Now I know why I have so many new visitors, I’ve been Malkinized. Welcome Michelle Malkin reader.
Just updated the timeline of comments left on Free Republic up to this moment. Obviously many of you know already that the bomber has been identified as Joel Henrichs, a 21 year old engineering student. Initial news reports are saying he may have been a depressed kid.
Still seems quite odd that a kid wanting to commit suicide would do it at a football game, but stranger things have happened. The jury is still out on this one.
Also, the below timeline are comments left to Free Republic that I have indexed. They are not my comments.
UPDATE 10/2 1815hrs
Sorry folks, I was down in San Diego all day visiting some family and I come back and see that many visitors have stopped by my blog. If your new, welcome.
To those in the media who wanted to contact the son who is mentioned below, I pasted your request onto Free Republic this morning….so hopefully you have been able to contact him. If not, let me know and I will do my best.
I am just now sifting through any new information that has come out today, will post what I get in a bit
END UPDATE
Why would someone commit suicide outside of a packed stadium? Was this guy intending on setting this thing off inside the stadium?
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) ? One person was killed in an explosion near a packed football stadium at the University of Oklahoma on Saturday night in what authorities said appeared to be a suicide.
The blast, in a traffic circle about 100 yards from Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, could be heard by some in the crowd of 84,000, but university President David Boren said no one inside the stadium was ever in danger.
“We are apparently dealing with an individual suicide, which is under full investigation,” Boren said in a statement. There was no information about the person who was killed, and no reports of any other injuries.
A police bomb squad detonated explosives found at the site of the blast. The area near the stadium was searched by bomb-sniffing dogs.
Jaclyn Hull, an OU freshman who left the game shortly before the explosion, said she saw “a little bit of smoke, about as much as you would see coming up from a grill.”
Officers cordoned off an area west of the stadium after the explosion and nobody was allowed out of the stadium for about a half-hour after the blast, which occurred shortly before 8 p.m., about halftime of the Sooners’ game against Kansas State. The game continued.
Based on the reports from the MSM (and we know how reliable those can be) there seems to be much more to this then meets the eye. This sounds like any number of suicide bomber stories we hear about in Iraq where the bomb goes off too early. He is close to location that holds many people compacted together to maximize casualities but the device goes off early. I have a feeling this will turn out pretty big fellas. How many more devices were found around the area?
No way this guy was getting into the stadium with these devices so it appears he was waiting for the game to end and the crowds to exit.
Shall I throw in another twist?
19. In or about early July 2000, Mohammed Atta (#11) and Marwan al-Shehhi (#175) visited the Airman Flight School in Norman, Oklahoma.
34. On or about September 29, 2000, ZACARIAS MOUSSAOUI contacted Airman Flight School in Norman, Oklahoma using an e-mail account he set up on September 6 with an internet service provider in Malaysia.
45. On or about February 26, 2001, ZACARIAS MOUSSAOUI opened a bank account in Norman, Oklahoma, depositing approximately $32,000 cash.
46. Between on or about February 26, 2001, and on or about May 29, 2001, ZACARIAS MOUSSAOUI attended the Airman Flight School in Norman, Oklahoma, ending his classes early.
48. In or about March 2001, ZACARIAS MOUSSAOUI joined a gym in Norman, Oklahoma.
53. In or about June 2001, in Norman, Oklahoma, ZACARIAS MOUSSAOUI made inquiries about starting a crop dusting company.
65. Between on or about July 29 and August 2, 2001, in Norman, Oklahoma, ZACARIAS MOUSSAOUI made several telephone calls from public telephones to a number in Duesseldorf, Germany (“German Telephone # 2”).
Early reports from the media:
NORMAN — An explosion near the University of Oklahoma’s Memorial Stadium killed one person Saturday night, officials said.
Sgt. Gary Robinson of the OU Police Department confirmed there had been one fatality after an explosion that occurred about 7:20 p.m. during the second quarter of the OU-Kansas State football game.
The identity of the person who was found dead outside the botany-microbiology building was not immediately available.
Law enforcement officers cordoned off an area west of the stadium and were using bomb-sniffing dogs and a robot to search the area.
Authorities were not allowing anyone to exit the stadium.
And this one:
Officers cordoned off an area west the stadium after the explosion and nobody was allowed out of the stadium immediately after the blast, which occurred shortly before 8 p.m., about halftime of the game. People were allowed out about 30 minutes later.
About 9 p.m. a police bomb squad detonated explosives found at the site of the blast.
Sgt. Gary Robinson said he could not say whether officials believed any act of terrorism was indicated.
“I have no information on whether it is or isn?t,” Robinson said.
“Right now we do know there was a device that exploded. We don?t know what the device is, what the make of the device is, what compound was used. We do know we have at least one fatality. We don?t know the gender of the person.
And the latest one I could find:
One person is dead and five others are injured following an explosion on the campus of the University of Oklahoma.
The blast occurred not far from a football stadium that was packed with fans cheering on the Oklahoma Sooners. Spectators reported hearing the blast during the game but no one was hurt in the stadium.
There are reports that the blast was part of a suicide plot. The victim’s name has not been released and the cause of the explosion is unknown
Below is a picture of the campus, the bombing happened around building 31 and 32 pictured below:
Some pictures from the scene:
Here is a timeline from comments left at Free Republic:
1920HRS PST
Per update from KWTV-9, authorities on the scene say it was a bomb, and that a second device was also found and has been “taken care of”. Occurred outside the stadium around halftime. Some architecture students working on a project in a nearby building said they saw smoke and saw only one casualty. It’s presumed that’s the perp. Right now focus is on securing the area and finding an orderly way for fans to make their exit at the end of the game without compromising any possible evidence.
2 devices detonated….news isn’t exactly on top of what’s happening here.
Just got off the phone with a frind who works at a TV station in the Tulsa market… says it was a suicide. Not terrorism… just a jackass who may have wanted attention.
Update from KOCO-5. Bomb squads continue to search the area west of the stadium with dogs and robots, looking for other devices. No one will be allowed to exit on the west side. This will complicate fans efforts to leave the stadium, but as of now the fans and stadium are not believed to be in immediate danger.
Update from KOCO-5…fans leaving stadium in orderly fashion. Told the west and south exits are closed and fans should avoid the South Oval. Parking lots & a parking building to the west of the stadium are closed, so those with cars there are being asked to wait until the areas are released by searchers. Pres. Boren announced via the PA system at game’s end that these precautions were being taken because of “an individual’s suicide which is under investigation”.
Reporter on NBC affiliate says rumor is that they detonated a pipe bomb that was found in a backpack.
They had a lot of coverage of this on the Wichita, KS stations. No indication this was a suicide bomber in the sense that they wanted to kill others……but it was a bomb and he or she used a bomb to kill himself or herself. HOWEVER, another suspicious device has been found nearby…
Still not saying who the bomber was… nationality or gender. Saying that bomb sniffing dogs found the second device.
A KWTV photogs was in one of the upper deck sections on the west side when it happened. He said everyone in that area knew it wasn’t the Ruf-Neks…way too loud and “bass-y”… and a couple of people even commented at the time that the sound had a “Murrah Building” quality. He said almost immediately he noticed the dozens of troopers and police ringing the field began leaving the stadium. He went down and noticed people who were trying to exit at halftime were being told to return to their seats because there was a search underway in the area. Then an announcement was made for all the bus drivers who’d parked in the affected areas to report to a certain gate area of the stadium, so that’s when he knew something was up.
I just got home from the game. They are calling it a suicide bomber and they found another bomb unexploded. One of my son’s fraternity brothers was within about 30 yards of the blast and felt the heat on his face outside the science hall which is also near the stadium. The police were interviewing him and one of the girls that was over at the fraternity (I park there) because she saw two men run in the stadium after the explosion and separate. It was so loud. I told my son and daughter along with my son’s friend that it sounded like a bomb. We didn’t have any confirmation until the girl behind us got a call as it had scrolled across the screen. Last I heard, they were looking for two more suspects, they blew up the second bomb, have bomb dogs all over campus going through the buildings that were open, and they couldn’t tell if the person blown up was a man or woman. Our news has very few details other than FBI is on the scene. Think every Norman cop from the looks of it is on the campus. We had to exit through the east and north sides and walk around as they had the south oval closed off from Lindsey to the Library. What a scarey situation — it was so freaky to hear that loud explosion and then absolutely zero news but we could see police cars all around from where we sit in the stadium. Didn’t hear a word until the 4th quarter when the lady behind us received a call!
I just posted what happened as I was at the game so I might as well post what a girl at my son’s fraternity said. She is Iranian (Persian) and she said two dark Middle Eastern types came running into the stadium and separated several minutes after the bomb went off. She said since she was Middle Eastern she felt safe in saying they fit the profile. She made a point of saying they were much darker skinned then the Iranian people and when she heard the bomb blast, she was convinced at the time it was a suicide bomb and these two were part of what was happening. Word we are getting is that they were on their way to the stadium to make a statement by blowing it up there. My daughter and I walked the long way back to my son’s fraternity house as they had closed off a large part of the campus and was behind someone (he was wearing a suit) on the phone and his wife was telling everyone around to get as far away from the stadium as possible. Freaky night!
I don’t think this was a pipe bomb — the explosion was huge. Everyone jumped around us and first thing everyone thought was that it was a bomb but we couldn’t get any info until the 4th quarter when people started calling people in the stands as it scrolled across the bottom of the screen. There was pretty much of a news blackout until the game was almost over. You could barely get a cell phone call out as the circuits were all busy.
If they had student tickets, they would have scanned them right in — takes about 20 seconds or less to be scanned and near halftime there are so many people milling around the stadium, no one would have paid much attention. This particular girl did because she comes from that part of the world. She heard the blast and then saw these two guys split and she was sure they were part of it. BTW, security at the gates tonight was a joke! If you have a ticket, you can get right in before half because there are no crowds waiting to get in the stadium. You walk up, hand them your ticket, they scan, and away you go. With so many people around before and during halftime, you could get lost easily.
All they are doing is saying it was a suicide bomber officially. Unofficially, they say there are two other people they want to question who left the scene. Since there was another bomb, would say it was a good chance there was at least one more and on local radio as well as from someone near the blast who was being interviewed when my daughter and I left my son’s fraternity, would say at least two.
There are bomb sniffing dogs all around and my son who is a GA and had to unlock his office, was told they are going to do a sweep of the campus.
My son’s fraternity brother saw pieces of flesh tossed around and it came across the news that the person couldn’t be immediately identified as to whether it was a man or woman because they were blown to bits. He actually felt the heat from the bomb blast and was thrown back. Then he took off running along with several others toward Elm to get as far away as he could. All I know is what I heard and was told. A girl in the sorority next door was near also and said the same thing. They were being interviewed as my daughter and I left the fraternity to get out of the area.
I almost freaked when I got to my son’s fraternity and heard them talking. The side of the face of his fraternity brother was still red — that’s how close he was. He said at the time all he could think to do was run and then wondered if someone thought he was involved so he called the cops to report what he had seen and they showed up as my daughter and I were leaving.
I just spoke with an aunt of mine who lives in Tulsa. She and her husband were at the game tonight and they saw the area marked with police tape. She spoke with one of the cops and he stated that there were “multiple devices” in the cordoned area. The cops on the scene think that the bomber was trying to attach the bombs to the parked buses when a bomb detonated before he could do so.
“… Our bus was one of three impounded by the FBI, so we hitched a ride home on another bus, just got home. The driver of the bus parked just behind us (another of the three buses impounded) happened to be looking at the guy who was sitting on a bench outside the George Lynn Cross Botany building, which is RIGHT AT where our bus was. This other driver was knocked off his feet by the concussion and otherwise unhurt but spending the night with the FBI and local constabulary. ….”
Threatcon raised at Air Force Academy? self 9/17/05 NeverGore Posted on 09/17/2005 11:10:10 AM PDT by nevergore As many of you know, my daughter is a Cadet at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. She’s at the football game and Security Forces are out in full force and full gear. Supposedly there is a just released Al Queda tape just released showing a film of the cadets marching into the stadium with an Arabic announcer spouting threats. They are taking this seriously and have begun briefing the Cadets. I can’t find out anything on the news sources yet… HAS ANYONE ELSE HEARD ANTHING?
Let me try and explain how OU is laid out. You come in on the east side of an oval on the street — other side is blocked off. It is like a large area of trees, fountains, flower beds, benches to the west of the street and then it goes around Cross then in front of the Price Business School and the street comes out on the east side of Cross and west of the stadium complex. On game days, buses are parked all around this oval from buses used by the visiting teams to buses used from the malls to transport people to the game. There are quite a few buses around the new oval on game day. Attaching devices to buses and detonating when they are filled would injure a good number of people. KFOR News in OKC just reported that the police are now saying that there was not a second device and that it was something they did as a precaution. Maybe it will be on their website for a link soon. Nothing else being reported. I’m sure there will be more to come and in the end it might turn out to be a stupid idiot playing with gunpowder….but I don’t think so.
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “ST. LOUIS — The FBI has issued a ”very vague” alert warning that people with ties to terrorist groups are downloading images of U.S. stadiums from the Internet, an agency official said Wednesday. The intelligence bulletin was sent in recent days to Law-enforcement agencies nationwide. ”There’s no specific threat,” said Bill Eubanks, head of the FBI’s St. Louis office. ”They just simply accessed the Web site.””
From the OU Website: Boren Says No Second Device Statement OU President David L. Boren October 2, 2005 Boren Says No Second Device
There was initial information that there was a second device. President Boren has been notified that further investigation has confirmed there was no second device. The second detonation was the bomb squad making sure that there was not a second device.
KFOR News in OKC just reported, and showed from the helicopter, the second device being blown-up. According to this report there indeed was a second device nearby
KFOR News in OKC just reported that the police are now saying that there was not a second device and that it was something they did as a precaution. Maybe it will be on their website for a link soon.
Wow! My family and I were sitting at home, roughly one mile away from the stadium as a bird flies, when we heard and felt an earth shattering explosion. I was monitoring my hand held amateur radio when the local repeater erupted with chatter about a explosion. It was so loud that people wanted to know if others had heard it. I called the Police who advised me that officers were on the scene and that a explosion had occurred but they would not give any other details. Our house literally shook. The ground vibrated with a deep rolling growling sound. This was a large explosion. Not some mere Pipe bomb put together by a pissed off student. But when I arrived at the stadium to shoot video for a local news station I regularly freelance for, already this was the spin on the story. This was serious business. This bomb was meant to kill not one person, but as many as could be reached in a crowd based on the size and power of the ?device? alone.
Knew it was no pipe bomb. It was way too loud to be a pipe bomb.
Fox just now showing OU video. Identified bomber as a male and saying a second explosive device was found near his body.
I think you’re correct, it was too loud for a pipe bomb. At least one that I would think could be carried easily. I’m no explosives expert, and what explosives I have ever used was limited to those shot off aircraft onto targets miles away. You don’t hear/feel those go off. But as you know this was a deep felt boom. It also sounded to me like a big trash dumpster being rattled at the same time. Guess that was all the loose stuff within the blast radius resonating from the shock wave.
It is being reported here that there was a second device — heard it about an hour ago. Also confirmed that some of Parkview Apartments were evacuated and searched.
Talked to a reporter today and they have the feeling they are not getting ALL the facts. Pretty soon it really didn’t happen and all of us are somehow dreaming! We just imagined that the Feds took over the investigation and evacuated part of a campus apartment complex and searched it. We are just imagining the whole incident — it never happened. It was a tiny pipe bomb that caused the stadium to shake which just happens to be concrete. We had the same deal here about Berg and Moussouri (sp) so I am used to it — I reported what we heard last night but this thread all of a sudden turned into nothing happened, move on — lone nutcase.
UPDATE: Joel Hinrichs, 21, engineering junior, is the identity released at the press conference as the suicide bomber. UPDATE: 4 p.m. – The FBI took over as the lead agency investigating the bombing Saturday during the OU football game against Kansas State. Three buses have been wiped down and sprayed, clearing the remains of the suicide bomber. The buses are still parked on the South Oval.
Joel Henry Hinrichs Student Info Junior college of engineering Address 506-B Sooner Drive Norman, OK 73072 325-7717 Picture of bomber
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) – A University of Oklahoma student was identified Sunday as the person who was killed in an explosion near a packed football stadium, authorities said Sunday.
The body is believed to be that of Joel Henry Hinrichs III, 21, Salvador Hernandez, Special Agent in charge of the FBI in Oklahoma, said in a news release. A student telephone book lists Hinrichs with a permanent address as Colorado Springs, Colo.
Hinrichs was killed when an explosive device detonated around 8 p.m. Saturday near Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where more than 84,000 people were watching the Oklahoma Sooners play the Kansas State in a Big 12 Conference game.
There were no other reports of injuries and OU President David Boren said spectators were never in danger.
Officers cordoned off an area west of the stadium and no one was allowed to leave the stadium immediately after the blast for security reasons. Spectators who wanted to leave were allowed to go about 30 minutes later.
Boren initially said a police bomb squad detonated explosives found at the site of the blast, but later said further investigation determined that the second detonation was done by the bomb squad to ensure there was not a second device.
Investigators have no information to suggest there is any additional threat posed by others related to the explosion, Hernandez said.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, OU police, Norman police and the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office also are investigating the incident.
Islamic Society of Norman – 1304 George Ave., Norman, OK
Parkview Apartments (unlisted in Yahoo yellow pages, but located through search from an article about the murder of a college student at Parkview Apts.): 606 Stinson St., Norman, OK
MAP – directions from Parkview Apts. to Islamic Society of Norman
Just reported on Channel 9 that terrorism has NOT been ruled out. Director of Homeland Security is coming up next.
I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH A MEMBER OF THE FRATERNITY JOEL HINRICHS WAS IN!!
Looks like I may have jumped to the conclusion too quick as to the suicide bomber at OU last night, I tracked down which Frat he was in and tracked down the head of that Frat at OU and gave him a call and asked him if Joel was a Muslim convert. He said no he was definately not, not at all. So looks like we jumped to a conclusion. But we should all never be too quick to accept everything we hear from the media, we have to stay vigilant and on top of these things!
Here is a post from an OU fan who posted this report on an OSU sports site. This person is not a kid, and I have always found his posts to be pretty level-headed, so I would put some credence in what he says. Everything that follows is what he wrote. Bolding is mine.
there is a story about it in the DO this morning….
I was at the game, it was really weird. Nobody in the stadium really knew what was happening.
It was nearing halftime and we all heard this really loud set of explosions, lasted anywhere from 5-10 seconds, which is pretty long when your talkin about explosions….
I could feel it, it kind of rocked the stadium. I knew it just wasnt me because everybody around me said they felt it too.
It created a very quiet buzz in the stadium, and lots of people were on their phones trying to find out what happened, and many people tried to leave but they locked down the stadium and couldnt leave. (I didnt try to leave, but at the time we didnt know it was a bomb)…..
Sounded like something out of Iraq though, it was friggin loud.
I was at the game last night, and have read and heard very little about this story (just got back home to Texas a little while ago.) I was seated in the south endzone, on the east end of that section, which was probably the best section to hear the blast. For other vets reading, you know the difference between a gunshot and an explosion, and this was a big bang – maybe similar to a 4.2 mortar shell – at least that’s what it reminded me of. No question that people in my section were very distgracted from the game for a bit. We could see police on the ground headed off that way, and a few people thought they could see the smoke. I can tell you that from the location of the blast, and the layout of the stadium, nobody else could really see anything, and my son, who is in the OU band, did not think too much of the sound (OU band sits near the sideline on the west side of the stadium.)
I did not hear any second explosion, as somebody reported earlier.
My younger son was not feeling well, so we left shortly after halftime. All the gates but one were locked, although no announcement of any kind had been made in the stadium. We spend a lot of time walking around trying to get back to our car, as OUPD, Norman PD, Ok. State Police and FBI were pointing people in circles – tough to communicate in the confusion. By this time the entire stadium parking garage was taped off by police tape, and we saw one bomb sniffing dog outside of the garage. Several streets were also closed, along with a large section in the middle of the campus.
This morning, much of the campus was still taped off, at least until mid-day, and FBI was still in the area (they have and office in OKC.)
I know this does not give you any new information, but it’s a little perspective from somebody who was there…
Hi – at the moment local HSec. is searching a building believed to be where the ‘suicide’ guy named Joel Heinrichs lived – and they have said that they are doing a wide investigation – this from local tv…otherwise other than his name nothing in known!
NORMAN, Okla. ? A University of Oklahoma student with ?emotional difficulties? was identified Sunday as the person who was killed when an explosive attached to his body detonated near a packed football stadium, authorities said.
The body is believed to be that of Joel Henry Hinrichs III, 21, Salvador Hernandez, Special Agent in charge of the FBI in Oklahoma, said in a news release.
?We know that he has had what I would call emotional difficulties in the past. And as I said, this is an individual death. There is certainly no evidence at this point which points to any other kind of motivation other than his personal problems,? OU President David Boren told reporters Sunday afternoon.
Boren declined to say where Hinrichs was from, but a student telephone book lists a permanent address in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Hinrichs’ father, Joel Henry Hinrichs Jr., said he was very surprised to hear the news about his son.
?We exchanged e-mails on an irregular basis, several in the last month, and nothing seemed out the ordinary,? the father told The Associated Press.
His son was a National Merit Scholar who graduated in May 2002 from Wasson High School in Colorado Springs and began attending OU in the fall of that year with a major in mechanical engineering.
?He was a very intelligent, very private individual who somehow lost the confidence that his life would be a good one,? the elder Hinrichs said. ?Obviously, every parent believes their son is a good kid, and I certainly believed that about mine.?
Joel Henry Hinrichs Jr. said he had not figured out whether he would travel to Norman.
Besides his parents, Hinrichs was the youngest of five children ? three boys and two girls.
Authorities haven’t identified what kind of explosive device was used. Boren initially said a second explosive device was detonated by a bomb squad Saturday night, but later said no other devices had been discovered.
Authorities detonated a backpack with a ?mild explosive device,? but no other explosive materials were found inside, Boren said.
Here are two from the OU Daily’s Comments section. I can’t vouch for the authors being truthful, obviously.
~~~~~~~
(41 of 43 posts)Posted 10/02/2005
I have had several classes with that guy and he has always been a little different. Always obsessed with guns and ammunition and things of that nature. He did a class project on an armor piercing bullet one time, thought that was kind of weird as well considering that he had all the plans all drawn out perfectly prior to the assignment even being assigned. He never seemed like he was a threat or anything like that though. I would like to thank the authorities for handling the situation so well. Also, I think the term “suicide bomber” that the media has been using is a little heavy of a term to be using for the situation at this current time in the investigation.
I know that guy..
My report of the two Middle Eastern types running in was from a girl that saw them that comes from Iran. We heard her talking in the fraternity on the way to get our car and stopped to listen to her explanation of what she felt happened and how they were involved by their actions. It freaked us out. She was totally convinced they had something to do with it as it happens all the time over there. People make sure the bomb goes off and then take off. She made me a believer.
NORMAN, Okla. ? A University of Oklahoma student who killed himself by detonating a bomb near the jam-packed Sooner football stadium apparently had a history of emotional problems, authorities said Sunday.
…”He was a very intelligent, very private individual who somehow lost the confidence that his life would be a good one,” the elder Hinrichs said. “Obviously, every parent believes their son is a good kid, and I certainly believed that about mine.”
Mr. Boren said authorities told him there was no indication that anyone else was involved with Mr. Hinrichs ? or that he attempted to enter the stadium, where the Sooners and Kansas State were playing Saturday night. More than 80,000 fans attended the game, and some heard and felt the explosion.
“At this point, we have no information that suggests that there is any additional threat posed by others related to this incident,” said a joint statement from the FBI’s Oklahoma chief, Salvador Hernandez; U.S. Attorney John Richter; and OU Police Chief Elizabeth Woolen.
Mr. Hinrichs detonated the bomb while sitting on a park bench outside Cross Hall, one of the university’s science buildings, just west of the stadium.
Authorities initially feared another explosive device might be inside a backpack near the body. They deployed a robot and some mild explosives in an attempt to detonate the backpack but determined there were no explosives inside.
…Mr. Boren suggested Mr. Hinrichs could have chosen the location ? and the time ? to ensure the most attention for his death ? or because that area of campus is especially serene and picturesque.
“He has had what I would call emotional difficulties in the past,” Mr. Boren said.
Another report:
A cache of explosive materials was discovered Sunday night in the apartment of a Wasson High graduate who apparently blew himself up Saturday outside a football stadium packed with 84,000 people at the University of Oklahoma.
…At their home in north Colorado Springs, Hinrichs? father and brother searched for their answers Sunday night.
?In hindsight, the handwriting was on the wall,? Joel Hinrichs Jr. said of his youngest son. ?He was unhappy in his major (mechanical engineering). He had the energy of a young man, but he didn?t have the optimism.
?He lived his life very privately. He was very bright. He was fascinated with technical information and subjects, but evidently did not pick up much confidence on his passage through childhood. He ran out of confidence last night.?
Tom Hinrichs, 24, said his brother was lonely and frustrated.
?I was surprised a bit by the details, but on the whole I was not surprised,? he said. ?He?d always been fascinated with artillery.
?He had real demons that were eating at him, and I told him some things I thought he needed to do, but he had such intense pride it didn?t register to him.?
Joel III, who went by ?Joe,? was the youngest of three boys and two girls. His father?s job as a software engineer brought the family to Colorado Springs from Illinois, about six years ago. His parents recently separated, and his mother, Elaine, also lives here.
Hinrichs started in the 10th grade at Wasson, where he graduated in 2002. He was a national merit scholar and debate team member for three years but also battled depression, his father said.
During his freshman year at university, ?We encouraged him to seek therapy and he did enter counseling, but I didn?t get the feeling he really trusted it.?
Law enforcement sources close to the Northeast Intelligence Network have confirmed that search and seizure warrants were served today upon the residence of the ?suicide bomber, 21-year-old Joel Henry Hinrichs III of Colorado Springs, CO, who was a resident of the Park View Apartments on campus. Speaking strictly ?off the record,? the officials stated that they recovered ?a significant amount? of Islamic ?Jihad? type literature, some possibly written in Arabic, along with the suspect?s computer. Some of the documentation included material on how to construct bomb-making vests.
Further reports by the same officials indicated that the bomb was detonated prematurely when the suspect was either arming a bomb vest or backpack, which contained TATP, a homemade explosive. TATP (triacetone triperoxide) is a very potent but relatively easily manufactured explosive compound that was used in the July London bombings. It is important to note that TATP has been cited in numerous Jihad bomb-making manuals.
The same officials, requiring anonymity as the investigation is ongoing, continued to confirm that ?other un-detonated explosive devices were found in the area cordoned off by police and federal officials.? Those devices WERE NOT DETONATED, but carefully confiscated for further forensic testing. Initially, information provided to the Northeast Intelligence Network suggested that that the so-called ?suicide-bomber? was attempting to attach bombs to the buses parked in the area when one of the bombs detonated prematurely. The investigation has expanded into the possibility that others might have been involved.
A relative of mine works as a department head at the University.
She says some of the students that knew this nut are saying that he had leanings towards the antiwar terrorists supporters.
Just hearsay for now but if he did have literature from Muslim groups that may explain some of why he blew himself to smithereens.
The other bomb making material (a claim yet to be substanciated) obviously means he may have had intentions on making more explosive devices..
Well the Norman PD blew up something Sunday night, after evacuating and searching the apartment complex he lived in. That was reported on several OK City TV stations shortly after the controlled detonations at the police range occurred. Scared the Shiite out of folks and probably lit up the switchboard.
Couple of facts apparent from the walkabout:
1. Small bomb. He broke some glass at GL Cross Hall, 75 feet away, at at the architecture building, 138 feet away. It is about 140 yards to the parking garage at the OU Memorial Stadium, another 70 or so yards to the stadium itself. No damage there.
2. He destroyed the teak park bench he was sitting on, and he was “gone from the waist up” according to a cop I talked to, who was one of the first on scene. He suggested something the size of a ziplock baggie. (about the 1-2 kilos I suggested yesterday) No shattered pavement, no stripped bark or leaves from the tree about 20 feet away, and no shrapnel damage to the cast-aluminum lamp post about the same distance on the opposite side.
3. He was within 10 meters of one or more buses. Quite possibly 3 meters, depending on where they were parked (long gone when I got there). My photos were taken about 20-40 minutes shy of 48 hours after the blast, about 6:45.
4. The park bench has already been replaced. Photographer from OU Daily was taking pics of it as I arrived, while cops were making measurements as I walked to class, and as I left, taking my pics on my way home. Couple of newsguys with a video camera, too, mike cover said “Noticias” so I expect they’re from one of the local Spanish-language stations.
One of the entries on an OU site said he tried to get in the stadium with his backpack and they wanted to search it so he went away. My speculation is he then went to the bench to strap on the explosives, go back in the stadium because they don’t pat you down, take off the bomb and leave it, blow it up and watch the carnage. That’s my supposition. Something went wrong and he blew himself up instead.
Open letter from the OU president
by OU President David L. BorenOctober 03, 2005
Congratulations are due to The Oklahoma Daily for the very thoughtful discussion on the editorial page about the need to inform the public during a critical situation and still respect the need for law enforcement agencies to maintain silence about some matters to help them find the truth. It is hard to wisely strike the balance between these two needs.
Three specific decisions were made during the recent incident illustrating the difficulty of making the right decision. First, I decided to wait to make a public announcement inside the stadium until six minutes before the end of the game. I did so in order to give our bomb dogs and experts more time to sweep the parking garage and stadium exits before spectators began leaving. There was nothing magic about the six minute number; it was just a rough estimate in trying to obtain the right balance.
Second, we all heard another explosion on Sunday night with no warning. The university police and I were notified about five minutes after we heard it. The FBI, which was removing materials from the room of the deceased, decided that for safety reasons they had to immediately detonate the materials at the Norman Police Range and shouldn?t wait until we were told. They made a tough decision. We immediately asked them to notify 10 p.m. news broadcasts that there were no bombs and that they had deliberately destroyed in a controlled environment those materials which they had found.
Third, on Sunday, when it became clear that law enforcement officials would not hold a press conference, I decided that I should do so in order to reassure our community and provide as much information as possible to address unanswered concerns and false rumors. I know that some in law enforcement did not want me to do so. At that point, however, I felt it was my responsibility to provide information to our university community, and that I could wait no longer. The law enforcement officials, including the FBI, have worked with us very well, and I did my best to avoid releasing specific data which they felt would damage their investigation.
Any of these decisions could be questioned. The Daily is right to raise this important issue.
Finally, I want to thank our OU police department and OU staff members (including those from Athletics, Housing and Food Services, Physical Plant, Landscaping, student RA?s and community officers) and those who helped them for long hours of hard work. Special thanks also go to our students ? especially those we had to move from their rooms at 6 a.m. ? for reacting very sensibly and responsibly. If students or parents have any suggestions for the future, please feel free to call the President?s Action Line at 325-1212.
Sincerely,
David L. Boren
President
news was on some local channel(according to PhiKap and one other poster) that the kids roomate was Pakistani and he can not be found! That’s all I need to know folks. Don’t mean to sound like I am profiling..but I am. This story is not over.
FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com
“IT’S PAKISTAN STUPID!”
by Paul Sperry
May 6, 2005ARTICLE SNIPPET:
“Internal Department of Homeland Security documents I’ve obtained show officials fear Pakistan-based al-Qaida may be sending terrorists our way, including ones trained in terror camps up and running inside Pakistan — that’s right, Pakistan. The terror-training camps we shut down in Afghanistan are now open for business on the other side of the border, despite Islamabad’s apparent efforts to crack down on them.
According to the closely held intelligence bulletins, officials worry Pakistanis trained in the camps are trying to sneak into America to carry out terrorist attacks. In fact, U.S. border authorities are reminded each day in shift musters that Pakistanis pose the No. 1 terrorist threat to America right now. And for the past several months, they have been under orders to increase scrutiny of travelers of Pakistani origin.
The latest advisory puts authorities on high alert for Pakistani terrorists trying to enter the U.S. with fake British passports.
“A number of Pakistani-based young men in their 20’s may be traveling to the U.S. with altered United Kingdom passports in order to engage in terrorist-related activity,” says the highly sensitive DHS action memo.”
Open letter from the OU president
by OU President David L. BorenOctober 03, 2005
Congratulations are due to The Oklahoma Daily for the very thoughtful discussion on the editorial page about the need to inform the public during a critical situation and still respect the need for law enforcement agencies to maintain silence about some matters to help them find the truth. It is hard to wisely strike the balance between these two needs.
Three specific decisions were made during the recent incident illustrating the difficulty of making the right decision. First, I decided to wait to make a public announcement inside the stadium until six minutes before the end of the game. I did so in order to give our bomb dogs and experts more time to sweep the parking garage and stadium exits before spectators began leaving. There was nothing magic about the six minute number; it was just a rough estimate in trying to obtain the right balance.
Second, we all heard another explosion on Sunday night with no warning. The university police and I were notified about five minutes after we heard it. The FBI, which was removing materials from the room of the deceased, decided that for safety reasons they had to immediately detonate the materials at the Norman Police Range and shouldn?t wait until we were told. They made a tough decision. We immediately asked them to notify 10 p.m. news broadcasts that there were no bombs and that they had deliberately destroyed in a controlled environment those materials which they had found.
Third, on Sunday, when it became clear that law enforcement officials would not hold a press conference, I decided that I should do so in order to reassure our community and provide as much information as possible to address unanswered concerns and false rumors. I know that some in law enforcement did not want me to do so. At that point, however, I felt it was my responsibility to provide information to our university community, and that I could wait no longer. The law enforcement officials, including the FBI, have worked with us very well, and I did my best to avoid releasing specific data which they felt would damage their investigation.
Any of these decisions could be questioned. The Daily is right to raise this important issue.
Finally, I want to thank our OU police department and OU staff members (including those from Athletics, Housing and Food Services, Physical Plant, Landscaping, student RA?s and community officers) and those who helped them for long hours of hard work. Special thanks also go to our students ? especially those we had to move from their rooms at 6 a.m. ? for reacting very sensibly and responsibly. If students or parents have any suggestions for the future, please feel free to call the President?s Action Line at 325-1212.
Sincerely,
David L. Boren
President
I was in the stadium Saturday night and heard the blast — it was loud. Sunday night around 9:30, I heard a blast that shook my front window — that was from Norman police blowing up the cache of bomb making supplies they took from the apartment. My understanding is that it was felt pretty much all over town. I am five miles from that site and it rattled my window.
BTW, I was told some windows had to be replaced in Cross.
10/4 0851HRS PST
I’m a resident of Norman and, according to a friend inside local law enforcement, they definitely to NOT think it was just a suicide. IOW, the bomb was clearly not meant to go off where/when it did. There was at least one eyewitness to the explosion itself and the guy didn’t do anything to cause the explosion. He walked up to a bench, took his backpack off, sat down w/ it on his lap and was “hugging” it . . . sort of like resting his head on it, if that makes sense. This was just minutes before halftime of the game (which I was at, btw), a time when thousands of people leave the stands and go under/outside the stadium and smoke, walk aroud, get concessions, mill around, etc. The bench the guy was sitting on is about 75-100 yards from the stadium. I think he was sitting & waiting for all the people to come out at halftime. He couldn’t have gotten inside the stadium w/o a ticket, but could have quickly put himself in the position have been in a perfect location to hit others outside the stadium if the bomb had not gone off prematurely. Also, the bomb was made of some sort of highly volatile, home-cooked, liquid explosive, not a pipe bomb as has been reported in the local news.
Also, just to let you know that the guy does have islamic ties. A middle eastern roommate, for one. Other ME friends, associates, also. The more recent (i.e., more “muslim-looking”) picture that has been posted here and elsewhere is accurate. They did find other explosives, etc. in his apartment. I didn’t hear anything about Islamic literature, though. The local LEs don’t know if he was acting alone or in concert w/ others from what I’ve been told. He did have some personal problems and bouts w/ depression so it’s possible this was his way of making some sort of last grand gesture/statement and there weren’t others involved, but due to all of his ME associates, it’s also very possible he was one of a group of people. I certainly hope that’s not the case.
This is a very nice, quiet, very typical mid-western college town (someone above said it has a bland-sounding name, which I take issue with. We’re not bland at all!!) and it is a bit of a stretch to think of this being the hotbed of Islamic fundamentalism, but one of the 9/11 hijackers did live here for a time so this would not be the first brush w/ terrorism we’ve had . . . if, indeed, that’s what this is.
They showed a picture of the apartment on Channel 5 last night and pointed to the fact the roommate had moved back in the apartment but wouldn’t be interviewed.
The last 12-18 months of the life of the University of Oklahoma Student Joel Henry HINRICHS III remains somewhat of an enigma, although one significant report has been confirmed by two student sources at the University interviewed by this investigator: HINRICHS had ties – close ties – with one or perhaps two men of Arab origin while attending the college in Norman, Oklahoma. This report was also further substantiated today by a law enforcement source no longer on the case (as the case is now being handled by federal authorities).
“Obviously, I cannot go on the record, but you are ‘not wrong’ in your findings,” stated this law enforcement officer. “There is much more to come out of this [investigation], including the likelihood of Middle Easterners from this area being involved in this bombing,” he added. “Right now, no one is talking, and we have been verbally ordered not to make any comments to any media – period.”
When asked of the origin of the “roommates” or Middle Eastern men he referenced, this source simply stated “Pakistani.” According to one university sophomore present at the game and a witness to the direct aftermath of the blast, HINRICHS indeed lived with one or two students from Pakistan, although it is not clear if both actually attended the university.
“At the end of the day, enough evidence will be collected to prove that this was a terrorist bombing that went wrong and Islamic men with terrorist beliefs were also involved. Whether that fact will ever come out, like ten years ago, [Murrah building blast on 19 April 1995 that killed 171 souls] remains to be seen.” Obviously exasperated, the officer closed with the following statements:
“If you could have seen the people walking out of the stadium [Saturday night], you would have thought nothing happened at all. No one seems to believe that it will ever happen again, ever happen to them. It almost did. I feel like everyone is living in a fantasyland.”
NORMAN, Oklahoma (AP) — The father of a University of Oklahoma student who committed suicide outside a packed football stadium using explosives said Monday his son didn’t intend to harm anyone else or push a political agenda.
…Joel Hinrichs Jr. said that his son did not leave a suicide note and that FBI agents told him hydrogen peroxide was used to construct the bomb.
On Sunday, FBI investigators searched the younger Hinrichs’ Norman apartment and his family home in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
As a father, Hinrichs said he wants to believe that the explosion was an accidental death, but said the evidence clearly points to suicide.
“He was checking out,” Hinrichs said.
“He was pretty disengaged from politics,” the father told The Associated Press. “And he took the care to select an open area where there was no one around.”
An FBI spokesman said officials were not yet releasing any additional details about the incident.
Continuing my Paki report … I then put “Pakistani Students Association” and “Oklahoma” into a google search. Nearly every hit was about this one incident, which was the one that preceded the above-posted Haider “event.”
The incident happened 3 days after 9-11, in 2001, and consisted of three Pakistani students getting expelled (Haider, who is actually Haijer, but he Americanized it to Haider, included). They had been picked up for “immigration irregularities,” but it turned out to be because they were associated with Moussaoui.
They all lived together in the Kraettli Apartments (University-owned) on Wadsack. (That always pains me because the K family were long-time family friends of my family’s.) Haijer was president of the Pakistani Students Association at the time.
OK, fast forward a little bit.
I tried to read as much as I could about all that, but my eyes were glazing over… until I sat up and took notice of a google hit that went to “OU Triangle Fraternity” meeting minutes, lol.
Seems the Triangle Fraternity frat house had been asked by the dean of students to provide a “safe house” for Pakistani students until the 9-11 “stuff” blew over.
Unfortunately, as most of you have found out, the Triangle Fraternity website is now taken down, except for the front page statement about Hinrichs. I couldn’t follow whatever happened next and was too tired to try the Wayback Machine.
Monday, investigators were seen questioning Hinrichs’ neighbors who lived in Parkview Apartments on Sooner Drive, southeast of Lindsey Street and Stinson Avenue.
Norman police Sgt. George Mauldin, head of the department’s bomb squad, said his team removed a “significant quantity of highly explosive material” from Apt. 506B.
The material, which he described only as “a solid,” was detonated safely at the police firing range on Jenkins Avenue, south of State Highway 9.
Had the explosives detonated inside Hinrichs’ apartment, Mauldin said, “damage would have been contained to that building. It may have blown out windows on buildings beyond that, but there would not have been structural damage.”
FBI officials have refused to name Hinrichs’ roommate.
Welch said he didn’t know the roommate’s name and had not seen him since early Sunday when residents were told to leave the building.
Ali Shakroun, who lives in an adjacent building, said he knew the roommate well enough to say hello to him but did not know his name.
Investigators at the scene identified Hinrichs from his wallet taken from his pants recovered at the scene.
Official identification will take more time, said Kevin Rowland, spokesman for the state medical examiner’s office.
Identification will be made using DNA, Rowland said.
“There is no time frame on when the (official) identification will be made,” Rowland said.
Investigators have refused to address whether the student may have intended to enter the football stadium.
Douglas Hageman (sp)….he talks with couple of police before the Feds took over…
Heinrichs has ties with roommates that have ties to ME terrorism….police say there is possibility of Middle Easterners in this area…Pakistani…lived with 1 or 2 students from Pakistan…
Enough evidence will be collected to find out this was jihadi related and the some ME men will be involved…BUT, the police office said that he isn’t supposed to say anything…
The police officer said that after it happened…he watched the crowd just nonchalantly walking out of the stadium…not believing that his happened and no one seems concerned… A lot of explosive material out of bombers apartment, and a lot of jihadist literature….explosives similar to the London bombers and Richard Reid…. The fact that a college student in USA strapped bombs to body to commit suicide??? NOT LIKELY…. Okay ya’ll that is shorthand notes of the reports that the talk show host had re: Oklahoma Suicide… Said that the police that were giving this information, did it to the Douglas guy before the Feds came…and shut them up…and they won’t talk now… I doubt if there is much here that ya’ll haven’t probably already heard/read….but this is all I have heard today..
I don’t know if it’s been posted yet, I haven’t had time to review the last couple hundred posts, but local CBS affiliate News 9 in OKC just did a story less than an hour ago that said Hinrichs had been seen at the Islamic Center near his home, his room mate was a Pakastani and Hinrichs tried to buy some ammonium nitrate last week.
NORMAN, Okla. — The general manager of a Norman feed store said Tuesday that Joel Henry Hinrichs III had inquired about purchasing a significant amount of ammonium nitrate, the primary ingredient used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
Dustin Ellison, the general manager of Ellison Feed & Seed on Porter Avenue, said that a man matching Hinrichs’ description had come into the store days before he blew himself up on OU’s campus. Ellison said the man asked about ammonium nitrate, but couldn’t offer a reason why he needed it.
After the bombing, Ellison said he thought nothing of it. However, when he saw Hinrichs’ photo, it triggered his memory.
To this point, authorities still suggest Hinrichs’ only motive for blowing himself up was suicide. The FBI released a statement Tuesday evening saying that “there is no known link between Hinrichs and any terrorist or extremist organization(s) or activities.”
The release also indicated that the FBI believes there is “no known current threat posed by any additional explosive materials.”
Ellison noted that his store doesn’t carry ammonium nitrate any longer after recent legislation required new paperwork for stores to sell the product.
Check out the video of the newscast here.
The channel 9 news just said that there was a plain clothed LEO in the feed store when H-III tried to by AN. He even followed him out and took down the license number.
The “owner” (same name as the store) was asked about the plain clothed LEO and he said he was told not to talk about it, but the news readers said they had it confirmed from 4 sources that he was there and he overheard the entire conversation.
The interview shows he tried to buy amonium nitrate. also that his roommate was a Pakistani guy who WORKED for the Athletic Center. Closely related to the Football Stadium, eh? AND today is the start of Ramadan. So it was a sort of pre-Holiday celebration???
An Oklahoma University student who killed himself by detonating a bomb strapped to his body outside a packed stadium over the weekend was a “suicide bomber” in possession of “Islamic jihad” materials, according to a new report.
Joel Henry Hinrichs III, 21, an engineering major at the school blew himself up outside OU’s football stadium during Saturday night’s game against Kansas State. Doug Hagmann, a seasoned investigator, told WND he was informed by multiple reliable law-enforcement sources familiar with the investigation into the incident that authorities recovered a “significant amount” of “jihad” materials, as well as Hinrichs’ computer.
Hagmann also said those same sources indicated police and federal agents “had pulled additional explosives from [Hinrichs’] house,” including triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, “homemade explosive [that is] very potent but relatively easily manufactured.”
TATP was also used in the July mass transit bombings in London, CNN reported, and was used by attempted bomber Richard Reid, who packed his shoes with the compound in an unsuccessful attempt to destroy a U.S.-bound American Airlines flight in December 2001.
The confiscated jihad documents “referenced bomb-making manuals and that type of thing,” Hagmann said, who added Hinrichs’ apartment in Norman, Okla., is “located near the Islamic Society.”
NORMAN – The FBI has found no evidence so far that a University of Oklahoma student who died in a bombing Saturday night tried to get inside the football stadium or had ties to any terrorist organization, officials said Tuesday.
The FBI also has found no evidence anyone else was involved, officials said. Still, OU plans to tighten security at upcoming football games. Fans can expect bags and purses to be checked more closely.
?They should come a little earlier,? OU President David Boren said. ?Be patient with us – know it?s only for their safety that we?re being very, very thorough.?
Fans also will not be allowed to leave at the half on passes and return.
Joel ?Joe? Henry Hinrichs III is believed to have died in an explosion about 7:30 p.m. Saturday on a campus bench about 100 yards from the packed Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Investigators are treating the death as a suicide.
OU was playing Kansas State before more than 80,000 fans. The game was in the second quarter. The blast could be heard inside the stadium.
Explosives later were removed from the student?s university-owned apartment.
The FBI continues to investigate. One agent re-interviewed the student?s father Tuesday in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Hinrichs, 21, was a junior majoring in engineering. He has been described by his family and the university as a loner with emotional difficulties. He dropped out in 2003-2004 but returned.
The FBI has reviewed surveillance tapes, interviewed acquaintances and checked Hinrichs? purchases.
The FBI also looked at possible ties to Islamic groups after learning Hinrichs? roommate is from Pakistan, attended a nearby mosque and worked for the OU athletics department, The Oklahoman has learned.
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I am recently learning of this… I live right outside of Chicago, IL. This scares the “Shiite” out of me. I plan on going to my downtown area tomorrow with a bullhorn and making the public aware of this failed attack on American lives. Never done anything like that before, but desperate times, etc…