Hinrichs Investigation Report Unsealed

We may never know what Joel Henry Hinrichs III sought to do with the explosives materials that he acquired, nor what he wanted to do. The records that were unsealed by a federal judge determined that there was no reason to keep them sealed:

FBI agents found the same type of volatile high explosive believe to have been used in the suicide bombings in London inside the apartment of a University of Oklahoma student who blew himself up near a packed football stadium, according to newly released documents.


The FBI also discovered "explosive experiments and paraphernalia" and 0.4 pounds of a white powder that turned out to be triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, which is composed of hydrogen peroxide and acetone, according to warrants to search the home of Joel Henry Hinrichs III.

The documents were made public Friday after U.S. Magistrate Valerie Couch ruled "there is no longer any necessity" for records of the search of Hinrichs' apartment, e-mail account and nine OU computers to remain sealed.

Hinrichs, of Colorado Springs, Colo., died Oct. 1 when an explosive device went off about 100 yards from Gaylord Family/Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

FBI officials have said in the past the probe didn't uncover any links between the student and terrorist organizations. They have said they may never know whether the student wanted to get inside the stadium.

So there it is. We are no closer to figuring out what was going on inside Hinrichs' head, nor why he took his own life.

However, we have a much better idea of what was contained in his suicide note:

The University of Oklahoma student who blew himself up Oct. 1 used the Internet to research bomb-making, had experimented setting off bombs and left a computer message that read, "None of you are worth living with," the FBI reported.

We also learned what was recovered from the bomb scene:

Found at the blast site were a chemistry book, a crescent wrench, a white sock with at least two protruding wires, a screwdriver with a sock stuffed in the handle, a large number of unused wooden matches, and an empty match box, the records show.

Also found was a pen with an attached razor and a nine-volt battery. Behind the bench was a black plastic container with "Cross Country" and "lubricant" on the label. On the bench was a pink pen with two protruding wires and on the sidewalk was a green circuit board.

Perhaps this brings this whole unfortunate situation to a close.

There's no indication that Islamic militants were involved in the bombing.

UPDATE 11/21/2005:
The Jawa Report makes a salient observation. Even if Hinrichs didn't operate in conjuntion with Islamic terrorists, Islamic terrorist groups was a substantial source of his inspiration as based on the information located on his computer. After all, you don't consult militant Quakers on how to build bombs.