OKLAHOMA MUSLIMS FEAR REPRISALS

Rumours of a Muslim connection to Joel Henry Hinrichs III's death by explosion are causing concern:

Many Muslim students at the University of Oklahoma are laying low after rumors spread that a terrorist plot was behind a deadly explosion near a packed football stadium, Muslim leaders say.

"A lot of students are taking precautions, staying at home," said Houda Elyazgi, an officer with the Muslim Student Association. "I wear the scarf, so I fear for my security now because of all this speculation."

Maybe it's not the Muslims who should be worried:

Hinrichs' Pakistani roommate, Fazal M. Cheema, is Muslim, although not particularly religious, according to regulars at the Norman mosque.

Cheema worked at the football stadium, according to the OU student directory, and the men lived at Parkview Apartments, a university-owned property popular with Islamic students because it is adjacent to the local mosque.

Some media reported that Hinrichs spent time recently at the mosque, which was denied by the president of the mosque, who asked that his name not be used for fear of retaliation

It's also worth noting that Hinrichs had recently come to the attention of authorities:

Norman police, however, reported that an officer became suspicious when he overhead Hinrichs trying to purchase ammonium nitrate fertilizer from a local feed and seed store two days before he died.

The manager of Ellison Feed and Seed said the store no longer carried that kind of fertilizer, which was used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

Ominously, jihadist materials and explosives were found in Hinrichs apartment and the warrant used to execute the search has now been sealed at the request of the Justice Department. It looks like everything isn't OK in Oklahoma.

Tapscott's Copy Desk has regular updates on this developing story.