Like Air AmeriScam and CreditGate, the OU suicide bombing this past weekend is getting scant attention from the media.
Except for local Oklahoma media sources, and a few astute bloggers, that is.
So far, local TV and newspaper reporters have uncovered the fact that Joel Hinrichs had severe emotional problems that led to a year-long sabbatical from school. They have also reported that he had made friends with several Muslim students and that his roommate (a random university selection, not Hinrich's pick) is Pakistani.
On Tuesday, local news broke the story about Hinrichs inquiring about purchasing ammonium nitrate fertilizer from a Norman, OK feed store. Tonight (Wednesday, Oct. 5) we learned that an off-duty police officer witnessed the exchange between Hinrichs and the store manager; he got Hinrichs' vehicle license plate number and spoke to the store manager afterward. Apparently there is no question that Hinrichs was the customer in the feed store. Two local stations have also confirmed that the explosive used in Hinrich's bomb was TATP.
Channel 5 news aired a story tonight that included an interview with Ashraf Hussein, president of the OU Muslim Student Association. Hussein confirmed that seven Muslim students were taken in for questioning by law enforcement officials, but released a short time later. But he flatly denied that Hinrichs was a member of the OU Muslim community. (taqiya, anyone?)
Blogger Mark Tapscott reports:
Tapscott's Copy Desk has also learned that a tree near where Hinrichs' bomb detonated displays a number of small round holes and some areas of a metallic substance. The holes and substance are only on the side facing the bench on which Hinrichs was seated when the bomb detonated. The holes appear to be about the size of the head of 16 penny nail.
I was initially skeptical about the terror angle of this incident because early news reports included no information about shrapnel damage in the vicinity of the explosion.
Now I'm not so certain.
(h/t Michelle Malkin)
UPDATE 10/6/05: Norman police held a press conference today and confirmed that an off-duty Norman police officer overheard the conversation between Joel Hinrichs and the manager of a Norman feed store. According to the police statement, Hinrichs asked numerous questions about fertilizer, specifically which types of fertilizer contained the highest concentrations of ammonium nitrate. After Hinrichs left, the officer copied down Hinrichs' license plate number and ran it through police records, obtaining Hinrichs' identity and further identifying him as an OU student. The Norman police planned to give the information to the FBI on Monday; however, Hinrichs blew himself up on Saturday.
Also, OU President David Boren has issued a campus-wide letter urging caution with regard to apparent rumors that are circulating on campus about Hinrich's alleged Muslim connections. Boren is warning students that offensive comments or innuendo directed at Muslim students amounts to "prejudice." After reporting this, Channel 5 News disclaimed their own reporting as strictly factual, and not based on unsubstantiated allegations.
And if your calender doesn't list these holidays, you should also be aware that the beginning of this week marked the annual Jewish celebration of Rosh Hoshana, and the end of this week will mark the beginning of the month-long Muslim observance of Ramadan. Could the Hinrichs explosion and today's New York City terror alerts be coincident to these holidays?
It's also worth noting that here in Oklahoma City, Channel 4 (KFOR) has been reluctant to report breaking developments in the story, concentrating instead on Hinrichs' family and security concerns at Memorial Stadium. Here's a possible explanation: in 1995, KFOR employed a young investigative reporter named Jayna Davis. After the April 19 Murrah Building bombing, Davis exhaustively pursued the identity of the suspect tagged by the FBI as "John Doe No. 2." KFOR aired a number of reports chronicling Davis' work, and culminating with a report tentatively identifying John Doe No. 2 as an Iraqi national living in Oklahoma City. Although the report did not specifically mention the name of the man, he soon came forward to publicly clear his name. He hired an attorney who put pressure on KFOR to issue an apology, and sued the station for libel and defamation. Could KFOR still be walking on eggshells because of that incident?
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