Revisiting the OU Hinrichs Bombing Incident

Michelle Malkin posts that the story isn't completely closed on what was behind Joel Hinrichs' death by high explosive. Jason Smith at Generation Why? and Mark Tapscott have more.

This case has never satisfactorily explained why Hinrichs blew himself up, or whether suicide was his ultimate goal or that he intended to kill others. And there's now word that one of the bombing investigators says that there's no evidence "... he intended for an explosion to occur at that spot (on the park bench)."

Well, where did he intend to blow up? And what was his target? And why? $64,000 questions one and all, and all remain a mystery.

Technorati: terrorism, suicide bomber, hinrichs, bomb.

Hinrichs Case Moves Sideways

Michelle has done yeoman's work trying to pore through all the records that were unsealed in a November 18 order by U.S. Magistrate Judge Valerie K. Couch, who determined there was no longer any reason for the records to remain sealed. She's done the great service of scanning those documents for review. Where was the rest of the media outlets to do this?

In any event, we're no closer to figuring out what motivated Joel Hinrichs to blow himself up than before the records were unsealed. And, we haven't learned anything new since I wrote about the records being unsealed earlier this month. We know conclusively that he used TATP in his bomb, which is the explosive of choice for Islamic suicide bombers. However, the papers do not prove or disprove whether he blew himself up due to depression, angst, religious, or some other reason.

The local CBS affiliate, News 9, continues to stand by its story that Hinrichs visited the Islamic mosque near his apartment.

Meantime, the medical examiner's office released its report stating the obvious. The FBI/Joint Terrorism Task Force have yet to complete their investigation, though an FBI spokesman told me it's nearing an end. The OU Daily reports that the FBI says it "may never know if Hinrichs tried try to enter the stadium or purchase a ticket for the game, even though surveillance tape was taken from the stadium." Local TV reports of Hinrichs' attempt to buy ammonium nitrate fertilizer before the bombing incident still stand, and News 9 stands by its reporting on Hinrichs' alleged visits to a nearby mosque.

Generation Why? wonders whether any remaining questions, and there are a bunch, will ever be adequately answered. I think the answer will be an unsatisfying no.

Michelle also wonders why Vaughn Ververs of the CBS blog was asking whether other bloggers to correct the record after the records became unsealed. I have to wonder whether Vaughn ever bothered to check my own blog, which
not only noted the unsealing of the records, but that the evidence remains inconclusive, unless Ververs himself has access to information that isn't already in the public domain.

Also blogging the document drop: Stuck on Stupid, Dustbury.com, and Kuru Lounge.

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.

What Do We Have Here?

Mark is reporting that Hinrichs was clean shaven just two days before he blew himself up with high explosives at a park bench near the Oklahoma University football stadium. I'd like to see confirmation from other sources before proceeding, but if true, this is a significant fact.

Why?

I'll let Mark explain:

... Hinrichs was clean-shaven when he appeared in a Norman, Oklahoma, feed store two days before his death seeking to purchase ammonium nitrate, a main ingredient in the bomb that destroyed the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995 and in other terrorist attacks around the world.

It should be noted that Islamic suicide bombers often shave just prior to carrying out their deadly acts. This is not "proof" that Hinrichs was on a similar suicide bombing mission, of course, but his beard was one of his most memorable features. His father has said that his son "looked like Abraham Lincoln since he was in high school."

It's not infrequent that college kids want to do things that change appearances, but once again, we've got a situation where the facts and circumstances point in a direction that some simply don't want to go.

The university is changing its counselling policy with respect to certain students who withdraw and come back to the university:

The policy will require that students who have left OU under what is called a “medical withdrawal” be contacted by Goddard’s Counseling and Testing Services should they choose to return to OU.

“One step we are taking is that if a student medically withdraws from OU, a follow-up session will be offered to the student prior to being admitted back to the university to ensure that our students are receiving the attention they need,” Wayne said.

Hinrich’s father, Joel Henry Hinrichs Jr., told The Daily Oct. 3 that his son had gone through several bouts of depression. Hinrich’s father said one of those bouts of depression forced him to take a year off school.

Elsewhere, the OU Daily looks at the depression angle and the heavy workload of engineering students:

The academic pressure that Joel Henry Hinrichs III’s father said factored into Joel’s depression may not have been an isolated case; some of his mechanical engineering classmates can attest to that.

Students in the College of Engineering often struggle to endure the constant stress that accompanies their academic-centered lives, sometimes sacrificing their social lives, among other things.

In an Oct. 3 interview with The Daily, Hinrichs’ father mentioned his son’s supposed hatred of the major but love of technology.

“He was very disillusioned with his major, and I suggested that he change it, but he said ‘Dad, I’m in the very best one right now, and I still hate it,’” Hinrichs’ father said.

Other mechanical engineering students said they have complaints about school. “There’s a lot of professors that just throw work at you without really considering how much time you have to do it, and there’s not always a huge amount of opportunity to get help unless you know a lot of people in the classes,” said Katie Sharp, mechanical engineering junior.

Gee. That sounds like any high quality educational environment. I saw that in undergrad in some courses and some programs at my university, and then again in grad school and law school. These are pressures all students will face at one time or another. You can get disillusioned and depressed over workload or whether you can meet expectations (internally or externally).

Technorati: terrorism, suicide bomber, hinrichs, bomb.

Blogging Joel Hinrichs

I'm one of the many folks out there blogging the Joel Hinrichs suicide bombing that resulted in his death. Asking questions that the media should be demanding of law enforcement is not engaging in conspiracy theorizing or kooky thought. It's a deadly serious endeavor to obtain the facts and circumstances surrounding a very troubling incident that may [have -ed added] resulted in the death and injury to far more than just Hinrichs.

Meanwhile, OU fans received instructions on what to do in case of an emergency situation. That's good information to have in general, but if the suicide was an isolated case, why the extra precautions. OU officials would rather be safe than sorry, which is a comforting thought, especially for all those parents out there who might be worried.

Joel "Joe" Henry Hinrichs III, an engineering student, died when his bomb went off about 100 yards from the packed stadium during the second quarter of OU's game against Kansas State. The stadium was not evacuated then, but fans were kept away from the area west of the stadium afterward.

The FBI has been investigating. FBI officials have said they may never know if the troubled student tried or intended to get inside the stadium.

Fans are urged to follow the safety plan in case of severe weather or "the unlikely event of an emergency."

The FBI and the JTTF has been investigating the incident and can't seem to determine whether Hinrichs attempted to get into the stadium or not. In other words, they can't seem to determine or agree on a motive. The apparent suicide note found on a computer doesn't shed any additional light, and there's no way to tell whether Hinrichs attempted to get into the stadium.

In light of the fact that investigators can't seem to lock down that particular fact, some folks are completely certain that this incident was the work of a loner who wanted to take his own life because he was angry.

I just think we need to rule out all the other possibilities because if this wasn't just the work of a loner and that he was intent on taking the lives of other people, someone better be rethinking security at major events.

The Counterterror Blog has more. That blog had an earlier piece that echoes what I had suggested was known and unknown about the case and the motive. I've purposefully minimized the coverage of the plane ticket, which some attribute to being in the possession of someone other than Hinrichs. The eyewitness accounts of Hinrichs going to the local mosque are offset by competing eyewitness testimony saying he never attended. Then, there's the issue of whether Hinrichs ever attempted to get into the stadium at all. I've posited that it wasn't even a necessary aspect of a plan to commit mass murder to try to gain entry to the stadium as he could simply wait for fans to come to him during halftime or after the game ended. We simply don't have the information necessary to form any conclusions on that point either.

There are simply too many questions and not enough answers to simply say that this was a run-of-the-mill suicide. The media's noncoverage, coupled with the tight lipped law enforcement response suggests that there is more to this story than they're willing to let on. We may have to wait until the warrant is unsealed to know for sure.

UPDATE:
Others tracking the Hinrichs story and the MSM coverage include Generation Why, the Penguin Proletariat, and Stuck on Stupid.

UPDATE:
Cathy Young seems to think that some of the bloggers covering this story are crying wolf. Among those she calls out are The Jawa Report (and some of the comments there), Michelle Malkin, and Powerline. However, she also notes:

And finally, the responsibility for the hysteria over the Oklahoma "suicide bombing" does not rest entirely with the blogs: a lot of the false rumors were fanned by the local TV stations (though it's not clear to what extent their coverage was blog-driven). At best, the mainstream media and the blogs can complement each other's strengths, with professional journalists gathering the news and bloggers subjecting their reports to fact-checking and critical analysis. In this case, what looks like sloppy and hysterical reporting by the local mainstream media fed sloppy and hysterical coverage by blogs. And vice versa.

Considering that most bloggers are simply analyzing and comparing notes taken by others - particularly news reports, the possibility for a feedback loop of craziness is possible. Cathy thinks that noting the proximity of Hinrichs' apartment to a nearby mosque is irresponsible speculation. However, I would argue that with eyewitness reports of him visiting the mosque and disputed by others, including the head of the local MSA, that proximity takes on an importance that would otherwise not have been there.

Technorati: terrorism, suicide bomber, hinrichs, bomb.

Hinrichs' Suicide Note Discovered On Computer

Michelle Malkin has picked up a Daily Oklahoman article that claims that the FBI discovered Hinrichs' suicide note. It was a single line of text:

The University of Oklahoma student who died in an explosion Oct. 1 left a message on his computer that he was going to quit living, his father said.
The FBI read the message to the father Friday, after he came to Oklahoma to clear out his son's university-owned apartment.

Joel "Joe" Henry Hinrichs III, an engineering student, died when his bomb went off about 100 yards from the packed football stadium during the second quarter of OU's night game against Kansas State.

Hinrichs, 21, was from Colorado Springs, Colo. He had a reputation as a loner and had struggled at times with his grades. His parents had begun divorce proceedings.

Joel Hinrichs Jr. said he understood investigators found the message on the computer screen when they arrived at the apartment.

"It was a single line of text on his computer," said the father, who lives in Colorado Springs. "The cursor was still blinking at the end."

That doesn't exactly provide motive, but would probably be sufficient for the FBI and Joint Terror Task Force to shut down their investigation since they couldn't find a clear link to a terror cell or Islamic terrorism. If that's the case, then we should hope and expect that the warrants and indictments to be unsealed. Mark Tapscott is not impressed. He wants to see how quick the search warrants are unsealed before making a final determination. We've waited two weeks while the investigation proceeded. I've been wondering about a potential suicide note of any kind for a while now, and to hear that it was a single line of text on a still open computer raises a few other questions including that if the computer was on, was there anyone else with access to the computer?

More importantly, why did investigators wait nearly two weeks to divulge the existence of a suicide note?

Generation Why is also asking questions.

The facts still aren't adding up and the timeline isn't exactly an open and shut case. The Joint Terror Task Force is still on the case, despite the fact that the FBI is trying to make it appear as though this isn't a terrorism related case, such that ATF would become the lead agency.

Texas Rainmaker wonders how come the father couldn't recall the words if the note contained a single line of text. I wouldn't press that point too far since grief can cause folks to not recall details or the father could be having difficulty coming to grips with having lost his son.

However, early reports did suggest that the FBI did not locate a suicide note. If the computer was on, how come no one bothered to check what is now being claimed to be an open document with the single line of text. What is the timeline between the time when Hinrichs left the apartment and law enforcement entering the apartment to begin the crime scene analysis? Where was the roommate during that time period? Did anyone else have access to the computer during this time?

One would think that the computer would be one of the first items examined once the scene was declared safe to enter (after a presumed search of the premises for other explosives).

There are still too many questions, and each revelation actually raises more questions instead of solving them.

UPDATE:
Michelle Malkin has a lengthy posting about how she was contacted for the WSJ article, which went on to slam bloggers who were seeking more information about the Hinrichs bombing by considering them to be conspiracy mongerers who are peddling nonsense. As she notes, the WSJ coverage is a story of:

How the MSM ignores facts, smears blogs, and publishes snit fits disguised as responsible news.

UPDATE:
Mark Tapscott engages in a pile on against the WSJ piece based on their shoddy interpretion of the facts:

What amazes me about the WSJ story is its uncritical acceptance of the official explanation, even in the face of obvious factual problems. I didn't know it when Hagan interviewed me, but we have since learned from the Friday CNN segment that the FBI hasn't even followed its own policy on when an explosion would be considered a terrorist act and when an official explanation would be offered to the public.

And, we've now learned that the FBI claims to have obtained a suicide note from a computer found in Hinrichs' apartment, even though earlier reports had claimed that no letter was recovered.

Technorati: terrorism, suicide bomber, hinrichs, bomb.

Update on Hinrichs Bombing

Mark Tapscott has been reporting that there was shrapnel recovered from the tree where Joel Hinrichs blew himself up. Acorn took pictures of the tree and said that he couldn't find the damage. That link is to the enlarged image of the tree, and it seems to show that it did sustain some kind of damage, though what hit it isn't clear.

I'm not sure I would put as much weight on that information as Tapscott does. All bombs create shrapnel, regardless of their make - it's a function of the explosive sending fragments of the bomb, its enclosure, and nearby debris outward from the detonation point. The more relevant question is if this was a bomb that purposefully meant to throw shrapnel into a crowd (as in wrapped in ball bearings or nails), is the forensic evidence we see consistent with the goal. Was the bomb somehow defective or failed to launch shrapnel? Was there shrapnel recovered from the grass and nearby areas? The design of the bomb played a role in the debris pattern - so the folks who reconstruct bombs will try and figure out what happened and whether there was an intent to kill others as well.

Those are issues and questions that can only be answered by the FBI, who is sitting on this information.

UPDATE:
Georgia Tech's bombing incidents appear to have been a college prank after all - a student, Theodore Hollot, 18, has come forward taking responsibility for making up to 12 devices, one of which blew up injuring a custodian. The student faces criminal charges, plus the school will be pursuing disciplinary action.

Technorati: terrorism, suicide bomber, hinrichs, bomb.

Getting a Handle on Hinrichs

Mark Tapscott summarizes where we stand with Hinrichs, and why he thinks that Joel Hinrichs didn't just commit suicide, but was rather a suicide bomber, which puts the act in a completely different light.

He notes:

These four considerations add up to a conclusion that the official version simply doesn't explain critical factors that are characteristic of an extreme outlier among all suicide victims, not a conventional death by one's own hand.

Powerline also steps in and wonders where the media is on this story. They also theorize that Hinrichs may have been a freelance jihadist, much as the DC Snipers were. That is an angle I had not considered, but the theory does fit the facts such as they are.

As I reported yesterday, CBS' blog, the Public Eye has even taken note of the lack of coverage in the media.

UPDATE:
Michelle Malkin updates with some curious activity in San Diego, California and Atlanta, Georgia. Officials are still looking into the Georgia Tech bomb incident, but there are apparently other investigations ongoing into possible explosives discovered in a nearby community.

This is way to early to be connecting dots between all these incidents - nothing would indicate that they are related other than the timing being coincidental. These may simply be coincidential. However, one still needs to maintain an awareness that these incidents could be related due to the locations vis a vis college campuses. If I were a college administrator, I'd be reviewing security plans and reminding the student body to keep an eye out for strangeness (you'll know it when you see it).

UPDATE:
Classical Values cuts to the chase and wonders why the Georgia incident is being treated as terrorism and the Hinrichs suicide bombing is not. We don't know what the motives were in each, but Georgia has erred on the side of terrorism - and has the statute to back it up. Has the media decided that since the Hinrichs' incident was a suicide bombing that it was not terrorism?

Why is this story more newsworthy than the bomb in Oklahoma? Should allegations of a suicidal intent coupled with a bomb actually lessen public interest, or make it any less a case of terrorism?

Can this mean that had Joel Hinrichs simply gotten up and walked away from his bomb without exploding it, that he'd have been a terrorist?

I'd call it a distinction without a difference, but obviously, the distinction makes all the difference.

UPDATE:
Rusty at the Jawa Report presents new information about the Hinrichs case. Apparently the FBI hasn't found any links between Hinrichs and a terror cell to this point.

When asked if NIN's reports are consistent with the FBI investigation, [Gary] Johnson [who is heading the investigation from the bureau's Oklahoma City office] said, "No," then added, Well okay the stuff that's found in his apartment, I can't comment on [be]cause it's part of a search warrant that's sealed.

"As this time," he said, "there is no known link between Hinrichs and any terrorist or extremist organization group or activity or activities." Johnson said the investigation is ongoing.

Well, those comments certainly settle things.

Technorati: terrorism, suicide bomber, hinrichs, bomb.

Things That Go Boom

Another day, and another report of a bomb blowing up on a college campus.

Three explosive devices found in a courtyard between two Georgia Tech dormitories on the East Campus Monday morning were part of a "terrorist act," an Atlanta police official said.

One of the devices exploded, injuring the custodian who found them inside a plastic bag. Two others were detonated by a bomb squad.

The custodian suffered ringing to the ears and was treated at a local hospital. The events led to a temporary evacuation Monday morning.

"It is a terrorist act at this point and depending on the outcome of the investigation it potentially could become a federal violation as well," said Major C.W. Moss of the Atlanta Police Department.

The custodian found the three devices about 9 a.m. in a plastic-type garbage bag, Moss said. When he picked up the bag, one exploded, as it was designed to do when handled. The explosives were made up of chemicals placed inside water bottles and could have seriously injured someone, officials said. Numerous agencies were on the Georgia Tech campus to search for suspects.

That situation is still developing.

As we've seen over the last week, there have been numerous bomb threats against public facilities including the NYC subway system and the Washington Monument. Those threats come on the heels of the suicide bombing by Joel Hinrichs. We have very little new information on the Hinrichs suicide bombing from last Saturday. However, Joel's father has apologized for his son's actions:

"I feel obligated to apologize to everyone whose inconvenience has increased, or had worse things happen to them, due to Joe III," the father told The Oklahoman.

He said he wanted to specifically apologize to the Muslim students who were shackled and questioned during the investigation, apartment residents who had to be evacuated, and "the hundreds of thousands of future OU sporting event attendees who will now endure even more rigorous, restrictive search and carry restrictions."

What we don't have are any good answers to why Hinrichs took his life in this highly unusual and very public method. There's no indication that Hinrichs' penned a suicide note, or that one was found. That's curious.

Meanwhile, the NYC subway bombing threat investigation continues both in Iraq and here in the US as the credibility of the threat continues to be assessed. The threat against the Washington Monument was considered to be a hoax.

UPDATE:
Other folks are wondering whether we're witnessing a Ramadan offensive. I think that although it is plausible, there hasn't been anything definitive about the bombings at Georgia Tech or at OU to suggest Islamic terror at work. However, this situation definitely bears watching and maybe the press will really start to pay attention since this is now the second bombing in a week on a college campus. In other words, someone needs to be questioning the timing of these incidents. Oh, and this is where data mining could come in handy, as we might be able to discern some heretofore unknown link between the events in Georgia and Oklahoma.

UPDATE:
Malkin has more, including that there were incidents reported at UCLA as well. Curious. Very curious.

UPDATE:
Some are wondering whether the Georgia Tech incident was a prank and not a terrorist act. That's a good question. Law enforcement is treating this as a terrorist incident. Somehow, this incident seems to be more serious than the usual kind of midterm prank involving stink bombs or smoke bombs - and law enforcement in Georgia aren't taking any chances.

UPDATE:
CBS' blog, the Public Eye is finally looking at the Hinrichs suicide bombing. Vaughn Ververs happens to agree with Malkin and others (myself included) who want to know where the national media is on the story:

CBS News national editor Bill Felling, who told us the network is looking into the story. Let’s hope so, it’s one worth airing, whatever the facts are.

Technorati: terrorism, suicide bomber, hinrichs, bomb.

Things Still Don't Add Up On Hinrichs

Mark Tapscott writes about how out of all the suicides that occur in the United States every year, Joel Hinrichs is the sole example of an individual using explosives for that purpose.

That's extraordinary. It's also something that I noted very early on. In fact, I seriously understated just how rare this method of suicide is employed in the US. However, since it is one of the most common methods of terror attacks, and the method has been used to kill thousands of people worldwide, Hinrichs' actions definitely deserve further scrutiny, as does his associations and movements.

UPDATE:
BTW, anyone know if Hinrichs had a suicide note. Seems that someone who wanted to commit suicide in such a public manner would want to leave a note with a reason why he would do such a thing?

Technorati: terrorism, suicide bomber, hinrichs.

The Moussaoui Connection

Flopping Aces has been all over this story from Day 1. The number of connections between the bomber, Joel Henry Hinrichs III, and Zacarias Moussaoui is growing quite disturbing. They both attended the same Islamic mosque in Norman, Oklahoma. That should send up a red flag considering that the terrorist plots against the US all appear to have commonalities:

The 1993 WTC bombers (Sheik Rahman as spiritual leader) had links to the 2000 millenium bomb plotters, who in turn had connections to the 2001 9/11 attackers. There is a web of links between the terrorist involved in the various attacks on the US, and there are focal points. Could Oklahoma City be one such focal point (Jersey City being another)?

Yet, the FBI doesn't believe that Hinrichs had any ties to any extremist groups, Islamic or otherwise.

And it appears that Hinrichs' bomb used TATP, which is the same material that Richard Reid, the shoe bomber, attempted to detonate while on board a plane. Oh, and Hinrichs sought to purchase ammonium nitrate in significant quantities just four days before the Saturday incident from a store that no longer carried it.

Ammonium nitrate, for those who forget, was the explosive used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that resulted in the murder of 168 people at the Murrah Federal Building. Some folks still have questions as to whether there were others involved in the conspiracy to blow up the building besides McVeigh and Nichols. Early reports from the day of the bombing had mentioned Islamic terrorists but those accounts were quickly dismissed as McVeigh was arrested driving out of Oklahoma City with a truck that lacked a license plate.

Hinrichs' roommate in Oklahoma, a Pakistani student was apparently questioned by the authorities according to OU President Boren.

Meanwhile, the national media is not covering this story as noted by Mark Tapscott.

Finally, if Hinrichs was just a disturbed guy who decided to kill himself with a bomb 100 yards from a crowd of 84,000 people instead of simply putting a bullet through his temple, slashing his wrists or some other traditional way of doing away with himself, why is the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force now the lead agency in the investigation?

Once again, there are substantial stories that are completely overlooked by the national media. Why? If this was a simple suicide, the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force would not be involved. Clearly they think that something more serious is ongoing. Tapscott thinks that OU may be a focal point because of the petroleum engineering program at the school that attracts large numbers of students from the Middle East.

Michelle Malkin has more. ESPN is reporting that the University has not made any changes to security procedures and consider the plans in place sufficient. That's comforting. Though it's curious that other news outlets are saying that security will be tightened. Which is it?

UPDATE:
Zombie has tried to piece together the puzzle of Hinrichs and how ended his life on a bench near the Oklahoma University football stadium. Charles at LGF has more.

Technorati: terrorism, suicide bomber, hinrichs.

I Find This Information Disturbing

This past Saturday, 21-year-old Joel Henry Hinrichs III of Colorado Springs, CO, blew himself up on the campus of the University of Oklahoma as a football game with 80,000 fans was just finishing up. Committing suicide with a bomb is certainly an unusual way to commit suicide, though it is common among Islamic terrorists. That's why this incident raises red flags all over the place.

Speaking strictly "off the record," the officials stated that they recovered "a significant amount" of Islamic "Jihad" type literature, some possibly written in Arabic, along with the suspect's computer. Some of the documentation included material on how to construct bomb-making vests.

Further reports by the same officials indicated that the bomb was detonated prematurely when the suspect was either arming a bomb vest or backpack, which contained TATP, a homemade explosive. TATP (triacetone triperoxide) is a very potent but relatively easily manufactured explosive compound that was used in the July London bombings. It is important to note that TATP has been cited in numerous Jihad bomb-making manuals.

The same officials, requiring anonymity as the investigation is ongoing, continued to confirm that "other un-detonated explosive devices were found in the area cordoned off by police and federal officials."

Flopping Aces has more on the developing situation.

Technorati: terrorism, suicide bomber.