2005 University of Oklahoma bombing

Joel Henry Hinrichs III

The 2005 University of Oklahoma bombing occurred on October 1, 2005 at approximately 7:30 p.m. CDT, when a bomb went off near the George Lynn Cross Hall on Van Vleet Oval on the University of Oklahoma (OU) main campus. The blast took place less than 200 yards west of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where 84,501 spectators were attending a football game.[1] The bomber, OU student Joel "Joe" Henry Hinrichs III, was killed in the explosion; no one else was killed.[2]

After the incident, speculation began immediately about Hinrichs' motivation and the number of accomplices, if any. An off-duty police officer had noted Hinrichs talking with a local feed store owner about ammonium nitrate and had begun an investigation.[3] There was innuendo regarding the Pakistani heritage of the bomber's roommate. Terrorism-related speculation was heightened after the explosive agent was found to be TATP, an explosive of similar manufacture, though separate makeup, to the compound used in the July 2005 London bombings,[4] the attempted destruction of an airplane by a shoe bomber, and by Hamas in clandestine devices for use by suicide bombers.[5] The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and local authorities concluded in 2006 that Hinrichs acted alone and had no assistance from other groups. They could not prove or disprove allegations that Hinrichs intended to enter the packed stadium and kill football fans along with himself.[6]

  1. ^ "2005 Football Season". SoonerStats.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  2. ^ "Explosion Kills One At Oklahoma Campus". The New York Times. 2005-10-02. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference feedstore was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Highly explosive material found in apartment of OU student from Colorado". KOTV.com. Associated Press. 2005-11-19. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  5. ^ Naughton, Philippe (2005-07-15). "TATP is suicide bombers' weapon of choice". The Times. London. Archived from the original on March 1, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference expert was invoked but never defined (see the help page).