Bomb Blast at University of Oklahoma (Breaking on Fox) - suicide bomber at OU

Fox News/NewsOK.com ^ | oct. 1, 2005

[blogblogginaway]

From Staff Reports
NORMAN -- An explosion near the University of Oklahoma's Gaylord Family-Memorial Stadium killed one person Saturday, OU officials said.

The explosion happened at the courtyard near the George Lynn Cross Hall, Botany-Microbiology Building on OU's campus, which is west of the stadium, according to Sgt. Gary Robinson of the University police department.

The explosion happened during the second quarter of Oklahoma's game against Kansas State.

After the explosion, police set up a perimeter of several blocks and made fans exit the stadium to the east.

[jimbo123]

Update from AP:

http://www.columbiatribune.com/2005/Oct/20051002News031.asp

One killed in Oklahoma U blast

Published Sunday, October 2, 2005
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Police were investigating an explosion at the University of Oklahoma late yesterday that apparently killed one person outside a campus building.

Campus police Sgt. Gary Robinson said authorities believe the blast was caused by an explosive device.

Robinson did not know the identity or gender of the person whose body was found outside the university’s botany-microbiology building. He also did not know whether there were other injuries or if the building was occupied.

Police cordoned off an area west of a packed Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where the Oklahoma Sooners were playing a football game against Kansas State.

[An.American.Expatriate]

Do you know anything about the construction of the building marked 90 on the map at post 1545?

What's MORE Interesting is what is located at 91!! "91 Armory, Army-Navy ROTC"

[Tin Foil Off]

Heres a photo of the building:

[SE Mom]

Thanks for this valuable reminder- our priorities must need rearranging:)

[KingKongCobra]

"Sometimes a kid with a pipebomb is just a kid with a pipebomb" placeholder for after church read. ping

[Fred Hayek]

NO, it's false advertising. His soul is devoured by 72 voracious ghoulies, continuously (derived from the end of the Screwtape Letters).

[MikefromOhio]

yeah but there wouldn't have been anyone there...

Norman is more or less a ghost town during football games like Columbus Ohio is....

[The_Media_never_lie]

Are there any eyewitness reports on this thread?

[Fast5]

Try this link for the video of the news copter report:

http://www.kfor.com/Global/story.asp?S=3925606

[ml/nj]

U. of Oklahoma Blast Is Apparent Suicide

What exactly does this mean, or try to imply? Obviously the person who was killed was killed by his or her own action, just like the guy who blew up the Sbarro joint in Jerusalem was also a suicide.

But how many people intent on commiting the lonely suicide implied by this headline, do so with a bomb? How many take the bomb to a crowded place? My guess is zero and zero.

ML/NJ

[hoboken109]

Pretty much what was first reported last night too.

[Yellow Rose of Texas]

indcons

So sorry, I checked back to see which post your article was out to alert a few fellow FReeper and forgot to redo the TO:

Razorback-Bert;TEXOKIE;amom

Read the article at the post 784.

[OXENinFLA]

Campus police Sgt. Gary Robinson said authorities believe the blast was caused by an explosive device.

You mean he/she did just spontaneously explode!?! Thank you Sgt. Obvious.

[An.American.Expatriate]

Here I think your wrong . . .

According to what was posted by PhiKapMom earlier - the parking facility doubles as a "food hall" etc... during half time - I do know that the ticket office is located there . . . According to what we've heard *if* the bomber was intending to detonate during half time - this would have been a great target! (crowded, inclosed, possibly material failure and collapse of structure.....)

[OXENinFLA]

Getty doesn't even have pics.

[Spunky]

Here is the story on AOL. This is exactly what Freepers said last night that they would do. Make this out as just a single suicide and change the story on the second device.

"NORMAN, Okla. (Oct. 1) - One person was killed in an explosion in a traffic circle about 100 yards from a packed football stadium at the University of Oklahoma on Saturday night in what authorities were calling a suicide."

"Boren initially said a police bomb squad detonated explosives found at the site of the blast. But in a separate statement issued early Sunday, Boren said it was further investigation determined that the second detonation, which could also be heard in the stadium area, was done by the bomb squad to ensure there was not a second device. The area near the stadium was searched by bomb dogs."

Apparent Suicide Explosion

[An.American.Expatriate]

Here's an aerial photo - that's the parking facility on the left - directly adjoined to the stadium

[grey_whiskers]

Th London bombers all entered the underground as a group and then split up later to bomb the different trains.

Seems like these three guys may have started out walking towards the stadium together, with plans to go to three different exits to cause murder and mayhem.

And then POP! went the weasel--premature detonation--and the other two ran like camel dung for the stadium.

[meyer]

In a disaster the telco's can shut the towers to average users, while preserving service for Emergency Services. It's part of almost every communities disaster plan.

Unfortunately, while the cell phone companies may have the right information to distinguish between official emergency service phones, they probably have no idea when personal cell phones are used for other official emergency operations. I'm in the utility industry - we have often used personal cell phones in areas where our radio system does not reach. Some of our electricians and linemen don't have company cell phones. I'm certain that doctors and other private entities are of the same nature.

Also, the towers that serve everyday users are often the same ones used for "official" cell phone traffic (not police radio traffic which is separate), unless the city maintains a completely separate cell phone system. The phone companies (Verizon, NexTel, etc.) cannot shut down a tower without shutting down all users near that tower. They can, however, shut down individual phone numbers or shut down all traffic except certain (presumably registered) numbers.

I'd venture to say that it would be much faster to have the police jam the cell phone frequencies as they can do this on site and don't have to contact all the various cell-phone entities. This would keep the effect very local. People a few blocks away probably had no problems with their phones.