Published: October 05, 2005 11:45 pm         

OU shouldn't take too long answering questions

There still seem to be more questions than answers regarding last Saturday's explosion outside the University of Oklahoma's Memorial Stadium. According to law enforcement, Joel Henry Hinrichs III acted alone and was depressed when he strapped an explosive to himself, sat down 100 yards away from a stadium filled with 84,000 people and blew himself up.

University of Oklahoma President David Boren has made daily statements regarding the status of the investigation, the safety of students, faculty and fans and increased security measures that will be taken in the wake of the incident. He's also stated time and time again it appears there was no terrorist intent from Hinrichs or anyone he might have associated with.

Yet, this week we have learned Hinrichs attempted to buy a large quantity of ammonium nitrate at a local feed store. We have learned he had other explosive materials in his apartment, and we have learned his Muslim roommate and associates were held briefly by law enforcement immediately after the explosion.

It's clear the FBI, which is in charge of the investigation, is trying to be tight-lipped because they don't have all the answers. They can state they have no direct evidence "at this time" to support any reports Hinrichs was involved with terrorist organizations or he intended to do harm to the fans in the stadium.

They probably are doing the right thing by limiting their comments until they have confirmed answers to all their questions. But, the information that is being ferreted out by the media is starting to paint a disturbing picture. Why would Hinrichs try to buy large quantities of a known explosive material? What was his motive for committing the suicide in such a public and dramatic way? What kinds of associations has he been involved with recently and what were his political views?

We applaud Boren for the attention he has given the matter and his daily briefings regarding the status of the investigation. Yet, we also believe there are more layers to this story than are being publicly disclosed at this time.

We can be patient for a little awhile as the FBI does its job of investigating the situation. However, it's imperative the truth be presented in full as quickly as possible. And, the questions need to be answered sooner rather than later in order to best serve the OU students, faculty and the fans of its spectator sports.