October 5, 2005

Why is the MSM Ignoring Oklahoma Muslim Suicide Bomber?

Was there a Muslim suicide bombing in Oklahoma over the weekend? I watched a lot of news in recent days, and have seen nothing on it. But it happened outside the University of Oklahoma football stadium where the Sooners were busy beating the University of Kansas Jayhawks Kansas State Wildcats 43-21 in front of 84,000 fans. Near halftime, outside the stadium, a student who it turns out reportedly frequented the same mosque frequented in the past by al Qaeda terrorist and "20th hijacker" Zacharias Moussoui, blowed himself up. Boomer Sooner indeed. For details, start here and follow the links, and also here - and there's a ton of information at Gateway Pundit as well. Mark Tapscott is asking good questions.

Here's a statement from University of Oklahoma President David Boren regarding the "incident," as the university is calling it. It says there was a second bomb found. Interesting.

UPDATE: Mark Tapscott has some interesting details about what was found in the suicide bomber's car, and evidence the bomb was designed to spray shrapnel. He also notes that Boren is backing away from his description of the event as a lone individual committing suicide. Was the bomber - ID'd as Joel Henry Hinrichs III, originally from Colorado Springs, Colo., - intending to go into the stadium and detonate, killing or injuring people around him?

Boren is now quoted as follows by The Norman Transcript:

"While saying it appears no one else is connected to the bombing, Boren made a shift in describing Hinrich's death by saying, 'I do not say suicide, I say it's an individual death that we're dealing with. That's all we really know.'"

Clearly something has come to Boren's attention since his initial declaration that has caused him to qualify his statement. Perhaps that something is to be found in the fact the latest official FBI statement says "at this time, there is no known link between Hinrichs and any known terrorists or extremists organizations or activities."

The key phrase in the FBI statement is "at this time." That suggests the FBI is keeping open the possibility that further investigation may yet turn up such links.

The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is the lead agency investigating the "incident" even though the "incident" is still, officially, a lone suicide rather than a terrorist attack that narrowly failed to find its target.