Police followed Hinrichs' roomie to apt of other Muslim men

The Daily Oklahoman today has an interview with an OU professor who was among those briefly arrested and questioned by Norman police and the FBI in the hours following Joel Hinrichs' explosive "suicide" on October 1.

Hossam Barakat, an Egyptian of 37 years, said he is not angry with authorities for the arrest. He said it was just unfortunate timing:

"Not at all. I understand. They explained. But if they keep coming back -- that's something else," Hossam Barakat said. "Because I'm not guilty in any way."
...

The roommate of the student killed by the explosion just happened to wander into an apartment where he and four or five others were visiting.

Also arrested was Pakistani student Fazal M. Cheema, the roommate of the student who apparently killed himself with a bomb, Joel "Joe" Henry Hinrichs III. Cheema took a polygraph test and later was released, The Oklahoman has learned.

The others do not wish to be identified or interviewed, Barakat said. He described them as either born abroad or Americans of Middle Eastern descent but said he does not believe they were targeted because of nationality or religion.

"It wasn't toward the Muslim community. It was just because of Cheema," Barakat said. "I can understand. He's the roommate."

Roommate visited
The others came under suspicion because Cheema had stopped by an apartment where they were talking around midnight Oct. 1, Barakat said.

"Cheema always come to this apartment. That night, he just walk in," Barakat said.

In addition, one of the men in the apartment was a visiting professor from Algeria who had his suitcases packed and was ready to leave the country on an airplane the following day, Barakat said.

"I understand, absolutely, that something had happened and we needed to cooperate. If this had happened in any other country, they would have done it the same way."

No doubt.

The men were kept under "house arrest" until about 4 a.m. where they were actually ordered to come out, one at a time, and were actually arrested and questioned, later to be released.

The latest story indicates authorities are still waiting on the results of DNA testing to be absolutely sure that the individual remains left by the blast were those of Hinrichs.

The story mentions that the FBI kept Cheema in custody longer for a polygraph exam. There is no mention, which is understandable, whether he passed it or not.

A careful read of this story neither advances nor derails any of the possible theories surrounding whether Hinrichs was an unusual "suicide bomber" acting alone or whether he was a part of some greater plot.