Posted on 10/07/2005 7:04:52 AM PDT by indcons
NORMAN -- An incident related by a ticket taker at Saturday's OU-Kansas State game raises questions about whether a student who died in a suicide explosion tried to gain entrance to Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
But University of Oklahoma officials continue to deny that Joel Henry Hinrichs III tried to enter the stadium before dying about 100 yards away.
OU student Adam Smith said Thursday that he was approached as he was leaving the stadium Saturday by a ticket taker from Gate 6 who wanted to know what had happened.
Smith said he told the gate worker that there had apparently been an explosion outside the stadium and someone had been blown up.
"He gave me a wide-eyed look, and said: 'Oh, that's really strange,' " Smith said. The ticket taker recounted that a young man who looked strange and was wearing a backpack that looked full tried to get into the stadium.
However, when he was asked to open his backpack, "the guy didn't say a word and sprinted away," Smith said he was told.
Vice President of Communications Catherine Bishop said OU officials have "been assured that there is no validity to the Gate 6 rumor." Bishop said the story has been checked out by the university's athletic department.
Meanwhile, the FBI continued to have no new comments on the case Thursday.
Hinrichs, a 21-year-old, third-year engineering student described by his father as a loner and a depressed and troubled son, died Saturday in what officials have called a suicide explosion that occurred during the second quarter of the OU-Kansas State football game. The explosion was sizeable enough to leave a large burned-out area surrounding a park bench in front of a campus building, prompting concern from the public about what would have happened if the blast had occurred inside the stadium amid a crowd of 84,000 fans.
Hinrichs' roommate was Fazil Cheema, a student from Pakistan. Law enforcement officials late Saturday came to the Parkview Apartments complex where the pair lived, located Cheema at a neighboring apartment, then interviewed him and about a half-dozen others, who are Muslims. However, spokesmen for the local Muslim community say Cheema himself is not a practicing Muslim.
An OU instructor in Arab languages whose native country is Egypt said Thursday that he was among the small group of Muslims handcuffed by Norman police and led to FBI agents, who questioned him for about two hours early Sunday morning.
Instructor Hossam Barakat said Norman police were "really aggressive," but FBI agents were polite and apologized for having to interview Barakat and the others gathered at one of the units of Parkview Apartments.
Hinrichs and Cheema lived in a nearby unit, and Cheema was at the neighboring apartment when police arrived. Cheema has moved from the Parkview Apartments to another apartment in Norman, acquaintances say, but Cheema cannot be reached.
Barakat and others are concerned that the OU explosion could be unfairly connected to the Muslim community. Barakat said he does not know Cheema very well. Members of the Islamic Society of Norman say that Cheema is not a Muslim and does not attend the mosque.
"Cheema was an atheist who was angry with God because he had lost much of his hearing," said Tariq Alzoubi, who noted many international students especially from the Mideast region are reluctant to talk about the case.
The Muslims who practice at the Islamic Society of Norman emphasize that they have never seen Hinrichs at the mosque.
In a letter being sent to students and parents, OU President David Boren said he has been "assured that law enforcement officials including federal officers have found no evidence of a conspiracy involving others which creates an ongoing threat to our community."
"We believe that we should not judge others or jump to conclusions about others on the basis of color, race, gender, economic status or freely exercised religious beliefs," Boren said in the letter made public Thursday.
Mick Hinton (405) 528-2465 mick.hinton@tulsaworld.com
Huh???????? How can you be angry at something or someone you don't believe exists.
"Facetiousness aside, what depressed person contemplating suicide uses a bomb in a normally crowded environment? It crosses the line from being suicidal to the attempt at being homicidal. Suicide was just secondary."
Well, it is possible that he had some hairbrained idea to go out in a truly spectacular way. Perhaps running onto the field at half-time and blowing himself up on the fifty yard line? Who knows.
I am assuming Hinrichs was caucasian. I would think this would be the type guy AQ or any other terrorist org would be looking for. He wouldn't profile out based on past experience.
It's crazy, when I was in college they used to check us to make certain we weren't carrying in booze, now it bombs. People say the good old days are just a fiction, but in this case I'd have to disagree.
"Cheema was an atheist who was angry with God because he had lost much of his hearing,"
Well, they'd better work on this story a little more, because it is irrational on its face as it stands.
I'd say Cheema's going deaf from being around too many loud "booms," myself.
"spokesmen for the local Muslim community say Cheema himself is not a practicing Muslim."
He's not a PRACTICING Muslim. He's an atheist angry at God. Well, what'll they think of next?
"Barakat said he does not know Cheema very well. Members of the Islamic Society of Norman say that Cheema is not a Muslim and does not attend the mosque."
" "Cheema was an atheist who was angry with God because he had lost much of his hearing," said Tariq Alzoubi"
"The Muslims who practice at the Islamic Society of Norman emphasize that they have never seen Hinrichs at the mosque."
Interesting...
Barakat says he doesn't know Cheema well, but was with him on the night of Oct. 1 - assumed because all reports say that those arrested were in the apartment Cheema emerged from when he was detained.
Then Tariq Alzoubi says Cheema is an atheist - yet they make no mention of who Tariq is and how he would know this...
Also note the Mosque states they have not seen Hinrichs at the mosque, but they don't mention never seeing Cheema. Reports earlier said Cheema has been seen on numerous occasions at the mosque. I'll have to go back and see who said that, but isn't it kind of weird for an atheist to go to a mosque?
So far KKTV Ch.11 is the only one I've personally seen reporting that, but in their 10 o'clock news report they do state getting some information from their sister station in OKC.
Thanks for the ping. I asked on another thread - this should be the easiest thing to "prove" to those who are either in denial (the boy's father - pity him) and Boron and company at the University. All they need to do is to locate the ticket takers and the bag checkers of that night and show a picture of this boy and ask them if anybody saw him that night try to enter the stadium. For something this important and, in fact, urgent - why has this not been done? (or maybe it has been).
Jayna Davis is the one who is reporting the sealed warrant. I heard her interview on Riccardi's radio program out of San Antonio yesterday afternoon. She said when she pressed the AG on why it was sealed if this was a lone suicide he became "uncomfortable" and it was only then that he admitted to an ongoing investigation. BTW on the radio yesterday she stated that it was the Attorney General she spoke with in her report published on WND today she said she was talking to the AG's assistant (could have been "abbreviated" for AG's office but I personally think she should've been more clear yesterday in her interview on that point).
You're welcome....I think the authorities may have already completed their cross checking. I also think this is the reason the records have been sealed and restricted. Just my $0.02.
As somebody else mentioned, muslim atheist=oxymoron. Do they expect us to believe that the muslims would have left Cheema alone if he were an agnostic/atheist. I am not as clevre as these muslims but I can see BS when it is waved in front of my face.
That's very possible......If Cheema were truly angry with God or Mohammad (cursed be his name), his fellow muslims would have silenced him right away. We know the muslims don't tolerate infidels, atheists, and agnostics.
Somebody is going to get dizzy from all the spinning.
Thanks for that important clarification. So, we still don't know how he got a ticket. He was certainly not a football fan according to his dad.
You're closer to the truth than most people realize.
Many of us don't think this was an isolated homicide bombing. There must have been a large ring of jihadi "elders" advising that tool, Joel Jihad.
ping
You gotta remember that all FBI agents have recently recieved "sensitivity" training. No kidding, read it hear on FR not too long ago.
Remember the threat that came out of Iraq not long ago that terrorists would attack cities in Britain, US, France, Italy, Spain and one or two in Scandanavia. They mention NYC, LA, Las Vegas and a city in Florida. Can't rememeber whioch thread it was on, but I read it on FR.
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