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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
As JustaCowgirl says, "Tulsa World's latest leftist soft-serve apologia regarding the OU bombing. Calls it a 'suicide' throughout as though that were a known fact." Well said....I have nothing to add to this statement.
In a related editorial, the leftists at Tulsa World are calling for "better mental health services to help depressed people like Hinrichs." FReepers are working to find this article too. Please post it if you can find it; I have little luck so far.
Oh....BTW, check out OU's continuing cover-up operation. Also, Tulsa World is quoting the Muslim Student Association as if he is an unimpeachable source. They are desperately trying to quash this story.
Ping...thanks again.
"the story has been checked out by the university's athletic department."
I always go to the athletic department for a comprehensive investigation. (sarc)
Ping to an interesting article.
So this proves he's not militant? Humbug.
Was it ever established whether or not he had a ticket?
LOL...thanks for the heads-up on Tucker Carlson also, CC.
Not sure.......we are trying to find this out. He must have had a ticket because he fled only after they tried to check his backpack/bag. BTW, his family confirmed that he was NOT a football fan.
BFLR....
And where the hell is the MSM on this story??????
Thanks for the ping!
I gotta speculate - and I welcome some thoughts back.
Is it likely that the reason the national media hasnt picked up on this story is the fact that the FBI & other authorities have asked this story to be quashed for now until all leads are fully investigated?
I cant for the life of me understand any other reason why this story hasnt been front page material.
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Como se dicé, "horsesh*t"?
Is he angry with God, or does he believe there is no God?
"thanks for the heads-up on Tucker Carlson also, CC"
It was just a passing mention in the middle of a discussion of terrorism and the NY alert. Somebody's thinking about it.
How could Cheema have missed seeing his room mate making TATP etc ?
Excellent point! How can one be angry with God if one is an atheist?
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