The University of Oklahoma has put up a memorial to a student who blew himself up outside the school's packed football stadium in an incident some believe was tied to Islamic jihad. A stone with the name of Joel Hinrichs III was placed outside the OU student union by the student affairs division, reports KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City.Hinrichs' father, Joel Hinrichs Jr., has insisted his son meant only to kill himself Oct. 1, 2005, and FBI investigators said they found no ties to terrorist organizations. But as WND reported, investigators found "Islamic Jihad" material in his apartment, and he reportedly attended a nearby mosque – the same one attended by Zacharias Moussaoui, the only person charged in connection with the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Hinrichs' father said the university offered to have the stone placed. Families normally pay about $150 for such memorials, and Hinrichs has offered to pay for it, reported the Oklahoma City TV station. But the university has not sent him a bill.
The stadium was filled with 84,000 spectators when the 21-year-old student blew himself on a park bench 173 yards away during the second quarter of a night game against Kansas State.