Posted on 10/02/2005 9:13:39 PM PDT by WestTexasWend
NORMAN - Local and federal law officers worked Sunday to remove what was described as a cache of explosive material from the apartment of a man who died in a bombing the night before.
Joel Henry Hinrichs III, 21, a junior from Colorado Springs, Colo., died in the explosion, FBI officials said.
Investigators believe Hinrichs detonated a bomb about 8 p.m. Saturday, just 100 yards away from a packed football stadium.
Officials confirmed Sunday a cache of explosive material later was found inside Hinrichs’ residence at the university- owned Parkview Apartments, southeast of Lindsey Street and Stinson Avenue.
The FBI, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents and Norman police’s bomb squad were removing the material Sunday evening.
Police were overheard telling residents it would take “several trips and could take up to 24 hours” to remove it all.
Four buildings at Parkview Apartments, including the building where Hinrichs lived, were cordoned off with police tape.
Mike McMahon, who lives across the street from Hinrichs’ building, said he was on his porch at 3 a.m. Sunday “when they (police) started moving in.”
“That’s when the (yellow crime scene) tape went up,” McMahon said.
Whitney Pearson said she woke at 9 a.m. to find police blocking access to George Street where she lives. Across the street, she could see crime scene tape snaking around buildings at Parkview Apartments.
“I talked to police, and they told me I would be safe as long as I stayed on my side of the tape,” Pearson said.
OU and Norman police officers were posted at intersections to keep people away from the taped-off area. FBI and ATFE agents could be seen moving in and out of the buildings most of the day.
A canister trailer used for detonating or transporting potentially explosive material was being used to haul items away.
They started removing items after 7 p.m.
On Sunday, Boren said reports about authorities finding an unexploded bomb Saturday night were false.
Investigators did set off a second explosion, but it involved a suspicious object located near the blast site that did not contain a bomb, Boren said.
Law enforcement acted quickly and efficiently responding to the emergency, Boren said.
“Student safety is our number one concern,” Boren said.
FBI investigators packaged and removed the bench where the bomber was seated when the explosives went off.
A scorched patch marred the sidewalk where the bench had been removed.
Crime scene tape blocking access to the South Oval was removed by Sunday afternoon. Tape was repositioned around a bus and limousine parked on the oval in front of George Lynn Cross Hall, OU’s botany-microbiology building, prior to Saturday night’s game. Blood spattered the lower length of the bus.
No other damage to the area, including the microbiology building, was apparent.
Officials said Hinrichs’ motive for blowing himself up Saturday near the Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium during the second quarter of OU’s game against Kansas State remains under investigation.
OU President David Boren said Hinrichs was a student “who had very, serious personal problems that led to this tragic death.”
Because of what happened, Boren said, the FBI had taken over the investigation.
Boren said the student had explosives strapped to his body.
Investigators would not say whether they believe Hinrichs intended to go inside the stadium before the detonation happened.
"We are dealing with an individual death caused by an explosive device,” Boren said. “There is no continuing threat to the students at OU.”
Boren said OU classes would be held as usual Oct. 3.
Notified of his son’s death Sunday, Hinrichs’ father said he was still processing what happened and did not trust himself to say much.
“I don’t want him defined by whatever limitations led him to this,” said Joel H. Hinrichs Jr. of Colorado Springs. “He was quite introverted. He was a very quiet, introverted, intelligent young man. I can’t approximate what led him to make such a final decision.”
Hinrichs Jr., who broke down in tears during a brief phone interview with The Oklahoman, said he plans to have his son’s remains cremated and the ashes sent back to Colorado.
and since no one at the time knew what the heck was going on...
was there more than one bomb ?
was there more than one bomber ?
etc....
why did the police refuse to let the crowd leave ?
It is from some kook website. Same one claimed the U.S. secretly removed a terrorist nuke from Boston last year and detonated it out in the Atlantic.
Norman Police have the bomb squad not to mention our State Troopers. You asked the $64,000 question. The OU Administration has been pushing "there is nothing here" since right after it happened.
We were in the stadium for over two more hours after it happened with a blackout until right before the game ended. But then we keep getting told there was no danger. How did they know?
"why did the police refuse to let the crowd leave ?"
Well, if we let our imaginations run wild with all sorts of frightening terrorist scenarios like many of us did in the months after September 11, we might assume that there was something going on other than an attempt to keep the crowd out of the area where a bomb had just detonated.
I've also read that traces of tularemia have been found on the Mall in DC, after that Cindy Sheehan march. There's a link on Drudge. Seems one of the symptoms of tularemia is "progressive weakness," which is apropos in this particular instance, lol.
See the posts on the main thread. Boren's assertions are being questioned by the local media, OU students, and other interested stakeholders in Norman.
not even remotely funny, jerk
I agree. An earlier posted statement from the frat president (could have been yours) said the victim was not depressed. There were muslims living in the same dorm, and the victim was not friends with them. No hint that the victim could read Arabic or associated with them. Plenty of opportunity for the resident muslims to plant literature if they wanted. In other words, plenty of room to suspect the victim was simply an innocent victim of a terrorist attack, and the University doesn't want to jeapordize their foreign-student cash cow.
I would believe his frat president over the university president, the media, or the investigators.
Exactly. My university president didn't know I existed. Nor did I know who he was.
But all of a sudden this guy knows all about the bomber.
Police on the scene told people that there were multiple devices. Then this is hushed up and there was only one device.
Yet at the same time its going to take 24 hours to get all the explosives out of his appartment.
Why would a guy with a room full of explosives make only one device.
You watch, tomorrow this story will be that all they found in the appartment was a cigarette lighter and a can of draino.
Okay...wanted to make sure. This is the first I'd seen since the initial long thread.
I found another after I pinged you and the original thread has posted this report and picture as well.
Do any of your children know of this guy? How are they doing today, btw.
Why would the FBI be the lead investigator in a suicide bombing that involved a depressed student?
As we discussed last night and this morning...no one REALLY thought it was a "simple suicide" when they were called.
I get the feeling there is a lot more to this then we are being told.
I concur. We need to keep a close eye on this. Are you still planning to make that phone call tomorrow? Good luck if you do. Hope you can learn something.
"Plenty of opportunity for the resident muslims to plant literature if they wanted."
I'm not following you with this. A student straps a bomb to himself and heads out in the direction of a stadium filled with 80,000 or so people, and dies when the bomb detonates just outside the stadium. But, any Muslim "literature" could have been planted by Muslims on the hall of his dorm?
They must be using technology that triggers any electrical charge within a specific perimeter.
Would be nice if it were true.
"...not even remotely funny, jerk..."
It's a pleasure to meet you, too. There is no need to call me bad names. You're correct about one thing, terrorism isn't a funny topic. I'll bet good money that this kid didn't just kill himself as a traditional suicide.
~ Blue Jays ~
"They must be using technology that triggers any electrical charge within a specific perimeter."
Yes, that would be nice.
Making jokes about someone's physical appearance who's just died (however, or for whatever reason) is tacky at best. There's no need for that.
"Doesn't make a difference now, as there wasn't any additional "bombers"...but... they didn't know diddely squat last night"
They knew an explosive device of some kind had detonated outside the stadium, so I can see why a logical response was to keep the crowd from going outside the stadium. Beyond that, they were dealing with an unknown.
Do you think an evacuation of that stadium would have been safe and orderly, had there been an announcement that one bomb had gone off outside on one end of the stadium, and they did not know if other explosive devices were present?
In hindsight, they made the right decision. Had it been me locked down in there, I might feel differently, as you do. But, their response worked.
You said it. For some reason or another, the University President is in full CYA mode and trying to portray this as a minor incident.
There is more to this than is being told. Hopefully, the federales will release more information over the coming days and months.
If one is a person willing to deal death to innocents, they best be prepared to be mocked and reviled by the survivors. This kid had bad intentions on his mind other than killing himself.
I have no problem calling the September 11th hijackers swarthy-looking, perfumed cowards, either.
~ Blue Jays ~
More likely "Someone heard that someone knew someone who said the police said so and so...".
There's always confusion and an abundance of rumors at scenes like this. It's hard (but fun) to jump to conspiracy conclusions before more real facts are gathered.
"This kid had bad intentions on his mind other than killing himself."
That does appear to be a safe assumption. I can't recall a single, intentional instance of an individual strapping a bomb to his (or her) chest, in order to safely end his or her own life, and no other. Doesn't add up.
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