Posted on 10/01/2005 7:05:29 PM PDT by blogblogginaway
Edited on 10/01/2005 7:21:56 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
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.
NORMAN -- An explosion near the University of Oklahoma's Gaylord Family-Memorial Stadium killed one person Saturday, OU officials said.
"Hmmm..."
I am betting on a 3-name nutcase cover story to be made fact, at which point we will get our standard dismissal.
You may have a point. If this is a piece of a larger puzzle, then it would add credibility to PKM's report of 2 mideastern types running into the stadium at the time of the explosion. I wonder if this kid is killed by accident of sitting on that bench?
"I also was not aware they allowed purchase of ammo from EBay - sounds like a set-up type operation to me."
A few posts up someone mentioned they do allow purchase of ammo on EBay. However, the address thing is still a bit strange.
Update:
http://www.kktv.com/home/headlines/1872782.html
Local Link to OU Suicide Bombing
Authorities have identified a University of Oklahoma student with Colorado ties as the person who killed himself in an explosion near a packed football stadium.
F-B-I Special Agent Salvador Hernandez says the body is believed to be that of 21-year-old Joel Henry Hinrichs III. A student telephone book lists Hinrichs with a permanent address in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Hinrichs, a 2002 Wasson High School graduate, was killed when an explosive device detonated around eight p-m last night near Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where more than 8400 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 says spectators were never in danger.
Hinrich's father, Joel Henry Hinrichs Junior, says he and his son exchanged several e-mails in the last month and nothing seemed out the ordinary.
It's possible that the device was attached to the bench rather than Hinrichs III.
Another update, 2nd device confirmed as "minor"
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/100305dntexsuicide.b6e9d8ae.html
Person killed in explosion at OU identified
07:00 PM CDT on Sunday, October 2, 2005
Associated Press
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.
The explosion occurred around 8 p.m. Saturday while he sat on a bench outside George Lynn Cross Hall, officials said.
Authorities cordoned off the area west of the stadium and no one was allowed to leave the facility immediately after the blast for security reasons. Spectators were allowed to go outside about 30 minutes later.
There were no other reports of injuries and Boren said spectators were never in danger.
Other than some broken windows, the building sustained minor damage, Boren said. The area remained taped off Sunday as fire crews hosed down nearby sidewalks and three buses that were parked in front of the building.
Meanwhile, law enforcement officers early Sunday evacuated part of the student apartment complex where Hinrichs stayed. About 40 people were told to leave and not to return for at least a day, Boren told reporters.
City officials informed other nearby residents to evacuate, Boren said.
“Obviously we're not going to let them come back into the area unless we know it's safe, and we can't have people going back into the area if it might interfere with the investigation,” he said. “They're going through everything with a fine-toothed comb.”
Television news footage showed investigators retrieving items from a trash bin at the complex, which is located a couple of blocks east of the stadium.
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.
so someone has spoken to the father I see - "nothing out of the ordinary".
All we talked about was how loud the bomb was -- don't remember talking about a crater or anything else. Just know it shook buildings around and could be heard over a mile away.
"The current story is that one of the bus drivers saw the bomber explode while sitting on a bench."
Bizarre way to commit suicide, but I guess stranger things have happened. Curious as to what else comes to light regarding this young man.
"...the body is believed to be that of 21-year-old Joel Henry Hinrichs III"
That was a big bomb than. Don't mean to sound morbid just a fact.
Strange that a guy who took some initiative and made a contact gets banned for posting that info...more to it than we know????
Convince me that he WAS NOT Muslim?
If that is what you are asking me, I am not sure what would convince me that he had not converted or was not sympathic to the cause.
Thank you for the link. FRegards....
the father sounds a bit more skeptical of the son in this report, and a bit detached - he is not traveling to Oklahoma?
Well, at least there were to mitigate the vandalism. . .
[snip]
“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.
Seems odd: nothing out of the ordinary and "somehow lost the confidence that his life would be a good one".
FReepmail exists. Posts are not arbitrarily pulled, unless they violate the rules. In the event that this individual had valid information, it would likely be best for them to convey the information to the proper investigating group. So as not to unduly aggrivate some people, and to avoid comlplicity. IMHO
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