Posted on 10/19/2005 4:18:38 PM PDT by Starman417
When a junior at the University of Oklahoma blew himself up outside a packed football stadium, the news coverage was minimal. Bloggers and local news agencies, however, took up the research into the young mans background, and concluded quite falsely, according to the FBI and his family that the details pointed to Islamic terrorism.
According to the Wall Street Journal, several facts led them to these speculations: Joel Hinrichs III had a Pakistani roommate, their apartment was one block away from the only mosque in Norman and he had a scraggly beard. The mosque near them was the same mosque attended by Zacarias Moussaoui, who pleaded guilty to helping plan the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Local CBS affiliate News 9 KWTZ aired a three-minute segment called Blog Spot, spreading the bloggers theories on the suicide, and KWTZ correspondent Tamara Pratt reported that Hinrichs had spent much of his time at the Norman mosque and had bought an airline ticket to Algeria. Brian Eckert, News 9s managing editor, stands by Ms. Pratts report.
None of these claims are true. Hinrichs parents and the FBI say that he was seeking counseling for depression, and that he had worn an Abe Lincoln beard since high school. While most news reports have been reliable, there has been a feeding frenzy of false rumors on blogs and in some local TV stations, according to David L. Boren, president of the University of Oklahoma and former senator and chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
In a letter to students and staff, Mr. Boren added that investigators had found no evidence of a conspiracy involving others which creates an ongoing threat to our OU community.
If he was a junior in college, then he was in high school when 9/11 happened. So, this might have been phrased: "he sported a beard since the 9/11 attacks".
Very true...didn't think about that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.