Father says OU bomber wasn't politically motivated

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- The father of a University of Oklahoma student who died when an explosive device he was carrying detonated says his son's actions weren't politically motivated.<br/><br/>Joel

Tuesday, October 4th 2005, 6:33 am

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- The father of a University of Oklahoma student who died when an explosive device he was carrying detonated says his son's actions weren't politically motivated.

Joel Henry Hinrichs III died Saturday when the device attached to his body exploded about 8 PM while he sat on a bench outside George Lynn Cross Hall.

The blast could be heard inside the nearby Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium where more then 80,000 people were watching the OU-Kansas State game.

Hinrichs' father -- Joel Hinrichs Junior -- says he's confident his son didn't intend to harm anyone and wasn't motivated by a political agenda.

Hinrichs says his son had an interest in explosives and says FBI agents told him hydrogen peroxide was used to construct the bomb.

Meanwhile, those who were evacuated from the apartment complex where Hinrichs lived were allowed to return home after bomb squad members performed controlled explosions of items connected to the case.