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
My source is pretty good that was told it was a directional device that the blast would have sent it forward -- may be why they have found pieces of metal the size of nailheads in the trees around the bench.
If the guy was going to just commit suicide why did he go to the stadium? Couldn't you just as easily off yourself in some parking lot, city park etc.? Other than Islamofacist hommicide bombers, who commits suicide by blowing themselves up? IMHO this guy was intent on taking out hundreds in the stadium and his close association with Muslims just adds to my suspicions.
The problem with those kinds of Muslims are: they put their women in bags, their bombs in the trunks, and their brains in the toilet. Other than that, they are fine people that I'd like to have living next door and marrying my sister. LOL.
Congressman Billybob
A more likely senerio is that he wasn't able to get the backpack in, so he was removing the explosives and hiding them on his person for another try when one of the wires touched and caused a work accident.
Precisely.
Thanks ;^)
They don't print it is double sourced but the OU Daily and Oklahoman won't print what is not double sourced (SOP). Gaylord was very clear in his instructions to the Oklahoman and his baby the OU Journalism College with OU Daily. He wanted ethical journalist from the College and wanted it to lean right. In the News Gathering Class, the students lose points if their article is not double sourced and the paper is run the same way. They follow the lead of their partner The Oklahoman.
Bump for later
Why of course. We can't very well hurt their feelings. They might pack up their tuition$$$$ and go home. This whole incident stinks to high heaven. If it was not for blogs like Free Republic no one would know anything about this story but the spin version given by Boren and MSM.
Thanks. I'll get right on it.
What, the park police were busy?
Fox News just covered it...
It is getting harder and harder for Boron to pretend that this was just a sad student who killed himself and meant no harm to the 80,000+ in the stadium
You're right, Grampa Dave. Just heard from various FRepers that Fox is carrying an interview with the Washington Times reporter.
PKM/HR/LR: this is the news we were expecting since last Saturday. Kudos.
Yeah...keep doubting us, Gone GF. We're used to it by now.
We have been mocked on this story since last Saturday night. On last Saturday, PKM, HR and I were called idiots and worse for even doubting the spin from the MSM and Boron.
Today, Fox News, Tony Snow, and Washington Post carried the story. Enough said....
Oh...it'll help if you read the threads before you comment on them. Some of your info here is totally wrong.
"Cheema was an atheist who was angry with God because he had lost much of his hearing,"
And just WHY did he lose his hearing? Too close to bomb practice without ear plugs?
And because Muslims say Hinrichs didn't go to the mosque is reason to believe them?
What total crap.
WND (I know, I know) is now reporting that Hinrichs attended the same Mosque that Moussaoui attended that was located near Hinrichs apartment. And that Jihadi material has been found in Hinrichs apartment.
Is it true that the Pakistani roomate is missing?
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