Posted on 07/16/2006 9:04:08 AM PDT by MizSterious
OU death not linked to terrorism
By Nolan Clay
The FBI concluded a University of Oklahoma student who blew himself up last year on campus was not a terrorist, the top agent in Oklahoma says.
"We have no evidence he had a social or political agenda that he was trying to bring attention to," said Salvador Hernandez, the FBI's special agent in charge in Oklahoma.
"We don't consider this terrorism the way we define it," he said. "There would have to be a cause."
Joel "Joe" Henry Hinrichs III, an engineering student, died Oct. 1 when his bomb went off at a campus bench a short distance from an OU night football game.
Fans inside the packed stadium heard the blast during the second quarter of OU's game against Kansas State.
Hernandez spoke about the investigation to the media for the first time last week as he prepares to end his two-year stint in Oklahoma. He has been promoted to a new position with the FBI in Washington.
He disclosed the FBI interviewed more than 200 people during the bombing investigation but never found any evidence that Hinrichs had extremist views or ties to extremist groups.
Hernandez would not speculate whether the student intentionally set off the bomb on the bench as a suicide or if he also had intended to harm others and the bomb went off prematurely.
"None of us can know what was going on in his head," Hernandez told The Oklahoman.
Hernandez described Hinrichs, 21, as a loner who had a longtime interest in explosives.
Hinrichs, who was from Colorado Springs, Colo., was very bright, but his grades had slipped at OU, the agent said. Hinrichs belonged to the Triangle Fraternity, an organization of engineers, but just didn't seem to fit in, the agent said.
Hernandez said agents did not find any conclusive evidence Hinrichs tried to enter the stadium. They found no evidence he bought or tried to buy a football ticket, Hernandez said.
The top agent also said two ticket-takers who saw Hinrichs' photo in the media thought they might have seen him outside the stadium but they could not provide descriptive information when interviewed.
Agents viewed hours and hours of tapes from stadium security cameras but never spotted Hinrichs, Hernandez said.
Agents also turned up no evidence Hinrichs ever went to the mosque near his apartment, Hernandez said.
He said fellow students knew Hinrichs was interested in and had experimented with bombs and they should have reported it to law enforcement.
"People should be more vigilant or more responsible and bring this stuff forward," he said.
Officials said earlier that Hinrichs built the bomb from hydrogen peroxide and acetone. The explosive is known as triacetone triperoxide or TATP.
In the interview with The Oklahoman, Hernandez revealed these new details about the bombing:
Using receipts, agents determined Hinrichs bought the bomb ingredients from local retail stores a few days before. One store had a video camera and agents reviewed the tape from it. Hinrichs was alone.
Agents could not reconstruct much of what Hinrichs did the day of the bombing, a Saturday. They believe he was on the Internet in the morning. They believe about 6:15 p.m. he typed, "None of you are worth living with. You can all kiss my ass," on his apartment computer. They believe he then walked to where he died. The bomb went off about 7:30 p.m.
Hinrichs made a final payment on handlebars for his mountain bike a few days before the bombing.
Hinrichs apparently was carrying the TATP around in a plastic container and could have accidentally set the volatile bomb off by simply opening the container.
The bomb did not go off in Hinrichs' backpack.
FBI agents interviewed some witnesses who live in Europe and had dealt with Hinrichs on eBay, the Internet auction site.
Baloney
The latest on this story. For those of us who live nearby: don't we just feel so secure now? (/sarcasm)
There go my damn lying eyes again. Similar to the attack by a filthy Muslim on the LAX El Al ticket counter, no terrorism. What does the government hope to gain by these wild claims?
Baloney to which? My comment, or the FBI's?
To me, the fact that the guy was wearing a bomb vest is all the evidence I need. Yet these guys say there is "no evidence." Are these guys blind? It seems that there is a lot of effort by certain authorities to dispel the idea that we have a problem with terrorism.
A student with a backpack (and door room) full of explosives blows himself up outside a packed stadium and we're supposed to believe the FBI that this was not terrorism. I guess it is all in the definition of 'what is is'. I guess the FBI can claim it was not terrorism because the student, thankfully, only managed to blow himself up and not injure or kill anyone else.
the FBI's
Same with the Murrah Building bombing, too--Jayna Davis uncovered so much evidence that there was a middle-eastern connection and that it was an act of terrorism using McVey and Nichols (and that Clinton was more than happy to go along with it, so he could paint Rush and Republicans as "hate-filled"). If I remember correctly, the FBI man heading that investigation was promoted, too.
Did Jim Kalstrom make that decision because it sure sounds like another TWA 800 fairytale?
"There is no evidence that Salvador Hernandez consulted with Kalstrom before issuing this statement..."
;)
Is this deliberate misinformation, or are our law enforcement really this stupid?
This sounds like the reporting of a drive-by shooting in Detroit. You get a whole lot of BS... and little solid information.
"We don't consider this terrorism the way WE define it," he said. "There would have to be a CAUSE."
Note to self: Don't move to OK. The cops there are clueless. ;)
No. They think we're really that stupid.
Our cops are pretty good, it's the federal pressure on them to shut the heck up that's the problem. The Norman police did a pretty good job, but were told to sit on what they found.
Note to self: Don't move to OK. The cops there are clueless. ;)
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