An Oklahoma University student who killed himself by detonating a bomb strapped to his body outside a packed stadium over the weekend was a "suicide bomber" in possession of "Islamic jihad" materials, according to a new report.
Joel Henry Hinrichs III, 21, an engineering major at the school blew himself up outside OU's football stadium during Saturday night's game against Kansas State. Doug Hagmann, a seasoned investigator, told WND he was informed by multiple reliable law-enforcement sources familiar with the investigation into the incident that authorities recovered a "significant amount" of "jihad" materials, as well as Hinrichs' computer.
Hagmann also said those same sources indicated police and federal agents "had pulled additional explosives from [Hinrichs'] house," including triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, "homemade explosive [that is] very potent but relatively easily manufactured."
TATP was also used in the July mass transit bombings in London, CNN reported, and was used by attempted bomber Richard Reid, who packed his shoes with the compound in an unsuccessful attempt to destroy a U.S.-bound American Airlines flight in December 2001.
The confiscated jihad documents "referenced bomb-making manuals and that type of thing," Hagmann said, who added Hinrichs' apartment in Norman, Okla., is "located near the Islamic Society."
A phone at the Islamic Society of Norman went unanswered yesterday. Also, there was no response to an e-mail inquiry by press time.
Hagmann reported his findings on his website.
WorldNetDaily reported earlier that officials carted away a huge cache of explosives from Hinrichs' apartment. Police were overheard telling residents it would take "several trips and could take up to 24 hours" to remove it all, according to the Daily Oklahoman. A canister trailer used for detonating or transporting potentially explosive material was being used to haul items away.
University officials have shrugged off reports Hinrichs was anything other than a disturbed student who acted alone.
"We know that he has had what I would call emotional difficulties in the past. There is certainly no evidence at this point which points to any other kind of motivation other than his personal problems," said University President David Boren over the weekend.
In a joint statement, the FBI's Oklahoma bureau chief, Salvador Hernandez, U.S. Attorney John Richter and OU Police Chief Elizabeth Woolen said, "At this point, we have no information that suggests that there is any additional threat posed by others related to this incident."
FBI spokesman Gary Johnson told WND he couldn't add anything, other than the investigation is ongoing.
His agency has been joined in the investigation by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; the Joint Terrorism Task Force; the University of Oklahoma Police Department; the Norman Police Department; and the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office.
Official accounts say Hinrichs detonated an explosive device while seated on a bench outside Cross Hall, a university science building about 100 yards from the stadium.
Some 84,000 people were inside watching the game at the time of the explosion. Officials say it did not appear Hinrichs attempted to enter the venue.
Unfortunately, the amount of explosive material found in the student's apartment suggests more nefarious intentions than suicide. It is naïve — if not purely political — for President Boren to suggest that OU, its students, faculty, alumni and visitors were not at a greater risk than he suggested.
This guy makes a pretty compelling argument: have you EVER heard of a guy committing suicide with a bomb?
From elsewhere:
---
The second thing that bothers me is that we are writing off the dead student as some sort of crazy suicidal nut without bothering to look at things objectively. I'm a counselor and psychotherapist with more years of experience than I like to count, and I have never heard of anyone building a bomb to commit suicide. People who just want to commit suicide overdose on pills, cut their wrist, blow their brains out, put ropes around their necks, crash cars, jump off of things, ect... but they don't build bombs. People who build bombs do so to blow things up. They might want to die in the process, but their is always a target to blow up. A bench in front of the Micro Biology Building seems like a really strange target for bombing...
The other thing that comes to mind is this: People who kill themselves either do it at home or if they go somewhere else to die it almost always someplace significant. Either it is a place that offers a way to die --- like the train tracks in Norman where depressed people seem to have a tendency to throw themselves in front of speeding locomotives --- or it is some place that has a special meaning for the person such as their favorite lake or their old home or the parking lot where their girlfriend dumped them. It seems really odd to me that this student would leave his apartment and walk over to the bench in front of the Micro Biology Building to kill himself. He was an engineering student, why didn't he do it over at the Energy Center?
The source for the "Islamic Jihad" claims seems to be Doug Hagmann. Hagmann says he is "very proud to say that [Steve] Quayle is a very good friend of mine and perhaps one of the most intelligent people I know in a number of areas that relate directly to our investigative efforts." Quayle, according to SourceWatch, "hosts a website that mainly deals with angels, giants and alleged terrorist threats." Indeed, his front page features a link to "Giants and Ancient History: The Times of Noah."
In other words, we're talking serious lunacy here. I will go with the FBI statement that there is no evidence that Hinrichs was a Muslim or that he had any ties to terrorist (or any other) groups.
Ceci n'est pas un commentaire.
Posted by ogmb | Link to this comment | 10-14-05 8:18 PM
Apparently not:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46640
An Oklahoma University student who killed himself by detonating a bomb strapped to his body outside a packed stadium over the weekend was a "suicide bomber" in possession of "Islamic jihad" materials, according to a new report.
Joel Henry Hinrichs III, 21, an engineering major at the school blew himself up outside OU's football stadium during Saturday night's game against Kansas State. Doug Hagmann, a seasoned investigator, told WND he was informed by multiple reliable law-enforcement sources familiar with the investigation into the incident that authorities recovered a "significant amount" of "jihad" materials, as well as Hinrichs' computer.
Hagmann also said those same sources indicated police and federal agents "had pulled additional explosives from [Hinrichs'] house," including triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, "homemade explosive [that is] very potent but relatively easily manufactured."
TATP was also used in the July mass transit bombings in London, CNN reported, and was used by attempted bomber Richard Reid, who packed his shoes with the compound in an unsuccessful attempt to destroy a U.S.-bound American Airlines flight in December 2001.
The confiscated jihad documents "referenced bomb-making manuals and that type of thing," Hagmann said, who added Hinrichs' apartment in Norman, Okla., is "located near the Islamic Society."
A phone at the Islamic Society of Norman went unanswered yesterday. Also, there was no response to an e-mail inquiry by press time.
Hagmann reported his findings on his website.
WorldNetDaily reported earlier that officials carted away a huge cache of explosives from Hinrichs' apartment. Police were overheard telling residents it would take "several trips and could take up to 24 hours" to remove it all, according to the Daily Oklahoman. A canister trailer used for detonating or transporting potentially explosive material was being used to haul items away.
University officials have shrugged off reports Hinrichs was anything other than a disturbed student who acted alone.
"We know that he has had what I would call emotional difficulties in the past. There is certainly no evidence at this point which points to any other kind of motivation other than his personal problems," said University President David Boren over the weekend.
In a joint statement, the FBI's Oklahoma bureau chief, Salvador Hernandez, U.S. Attorney John Richter and OU Police Chief Elizabeth Woolen said, "At this point, we have no information that suggests that there is any additional threat posed by others related to this incident."
FBI spokesman Gary Johnson told WND he couldn't add anything, other than the investigation is ongoing.
His agency has been joined in the investigation by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; the Joint Terrorism Task Force; the University of Oklahoma Police Department; the Norman Police Department; and the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office.
Official accounts say Hinrichs detonated an explosive device while seated on a bench outside Cross Hall, a university science building about 100 yards from the stadium.
Some 84,000 people were inside watching the game at the time of the explosion. Officials say it did not appear Hinrichs attempted to enter the venue.
Posted by b | Link to this comment | 10-16-05 4:24 PM
Unfortunately, the amount of explosive material found in the student's apartment suggests more nefarious intentions than suicide. It is naïve — if not purely political — for President Boren to suggest that OU, its students, faculty, alumni and visitors were not at a greater risk than he suggested.
Posted by b | Link to this comment | 10-16-05 4:26 PM
This guy makes a pretty compelling argument: have you EVER heard of a guy committing suicide with a bomb?
From elsewhere:
---
The second thing that bothers me is that we are writing off the dead student as some sort of crazy suicidal nut without bothering to look at things objectively. I'm a counselor and psychotherapist with more years of experience than I like to count, and I have never heard of anyone building a bomb to commit suicide. People who just want to commit suicide overdose on pills, cut their wrist, blow their brains out, put ropes around their necks, crash cars, jump off of things, ect... but they don't build bombs. People who build bombs do so to blow things up. They might want to die in the process, but their is always a target to blow up. A bench in front of the Micro Biology Building seems like a really strange target for bombing...
The other thing that comes to mind is this: People who kill themselves either do it at home or if they go somewhere else to die it almost always someplace significant. Either it is a place that offers a way to die --- like the train tracks in Norman where depressed people seem to have a tendency to throw themselves in front of speeding locomotives --- or it is some place that has a special meaning for the person such as their favorite lake or their old home or the parking lot where their girlfriend dumped them. It seems really odd to me that this student would leave his apartment and walk over to the bench in front of the Micro Biology Building to kill himself. He was an engineering student, why didn't he do it over at the Energy Center?
Posted by b | Link to this comment | 10-16-05 4:27 PM
The source for the "Islamic Jihad" claims seems to be Doug Hagmann. Hagmann says he is "very proud to say that [Steve] Quayle is a very good friend of mine and perhaps one of the most intelligent people I know in a number of areas that relate directly to our investigative efforts." Quayle, according to SourceWatch, "hosts a website that mainly deals with angels, giants and alleged terrorist threats." Indeed, his front page features a link to "Giants and Ancient History: The Times of Noah."
In other words, we're talking serious lunacy here. I will go with the FBI statement that there is no evidence that Hinrichs was a Muslim or that he had any ties to terrorist (or any other) groups.
Posted by Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 10-16-05 4:51 PM
Rule of thumb: the longer the comment, the greater the probability that the poster is a crank.
Posted by Adam Kotsko | Link to this comment | 10-16-05 6:24 PM