The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 12

12A THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER Friday April 21 1995 THE OKLAHOMA BOMBING Probe's first steps are bomb truck OKLAHOMA BRIEFS Clinton: 'No place to hide' may have been recognized or the bomb went off The explosion rocked the normally quiet downtown section shortly after 9 am CDT Wednesday collapsing nine stories of the office building creating a 30-footwide crater and scattering debris throughout the area Office windows were shattered and cars damaged throughout the downtown business section Federal investigators were moving on several fronts on their first full day after the explosion They were chasing a wealth of leads They also cautioned that no positive links have been found to international terrorist groups Weldon Kennedy an FBI special agent in charge of the investigation said "the explosive used in this consisted of fertilizer and fuel oil" one vehicle was used to carry one explosive mechanism discounting some reports that another vehicle may have ferried a second bomb "To my information we only have one device" he said "No others have been found" Oklahoma Gov Frank Keating said the axle and other debris nave been located from what is believed to be the attack vehicle "The axle that I saw from that car was two blocks to the east" he said "And there are little pieces not any bigger than your fist that fell from that car Broken charred metal And it was an enormously powerful blast" He said the no-parking no-standing zone fronting the building gave the bombers a special vantage point "If you wanted to do damage to the building that was the best place for a car" he said Forensic experts who have examined the scene thus far are able to say that it is a low-order explosive (one that usually causes the most damage at its ignition site rather than exploding throughout a large area) Not a high explosive They can tell that from the damage to vehicles and other surrounding buildings nearby" Authorities reached that conclusion partly because of the huge crater left where the truck had exploded Even with these revelations Kennedy said the probe is far from complete "Can I tell the American public this morning that we are any closer to finding out who did this than we were yesterday?" he asked "The answer to that question is no I cannot" Kennedy did say that so far federal investigators believe only which then triggered a second massive explosion But perhaps more importantly sources said the double-trigger mechanism might have given the bombers enough time to get out of the vehicle and rush away before the blast tore through the landmark building They said preliminary evidence also shows that the truck believed to be a Ryder rental from Junction City Kan was driven up a circular driveway at the main entrance and then abandoned in a noparking no-standing zone in front of the nine-story structure But it appears that the building's video cameras would not have captured the vehicle's arrival because they were turned toward the building and not out at the driveway It may never be known how long the vehicle was there before it By RICHARD A SERRANO Los Angeles Times OKLAHOMA CITY Investigators sifting through the rubble in Oklahoma City determined Thursday that several thousand pounds of a "low-order" but deadly mixture of fertilizer and fuel oil was used in the explosion that blew apart the federal office building Disclosing that the explosive materials were ferried in the back of a large rented truck authorities said they have recovered the truck's axle and hundreds of pieces strewn across several city blocks around the Alfred Murrah federal building In addition bomb experts and evidence technicians are operating on a theory that an elaborate "one-on-one" explosive device was wired inside the truck and used to set off one detonation Occupants of the hombedout building Em to ees Floor Oklahoma City will never be the same 24 20 15 The confirmed death toll in the Wednesday bombing of the Alfred Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City is 52 including 12 children More than 400 people were injured No one knows precisely how many people were in the building at the time of the blast but one estimate placed the number at 810 560 employees and 250 nonemployees The number of people unaccounted for is unclear WASHINGTON President Clinton promised on Thursday to follow the trail of the bombers of Oklahoma City to the ends of the earth The White House said he wanted to attend a memorial service for the victims on Sunday there unless the authorities decided that his presence would impede the investigation or rescue efforts "There is no place to hide" Clinton said of the attackers at a news conference with President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil "Nobody can hide anyplace in this country nobody can hide anyplace in this world from the terrible consequences of what has been done" Clinton added: "Make no mistake about it: This was an attack on the United States our way of life and everything we believe in So whoever did it we'll get to the bottom of it and then we'll take the appropriate action" Man reports mystery phone message to FBI A Charlotte man said he told the FBI Sunday about a mysterious phone message in which a man claiming to be in Cairo warned about "a series of bombings going on right now" Marek Woroniecki said the call came in to his answering machine at 3:07 am Sunday After listening to it that morning he called the FBI On the tape a man says: "Hello I am calling from Cairo right now I have some information that you need to know Listen there will be a series of bombings going on right now "I have a feeling that the FBI is watching my apartment it is very hot right now" After hearing about the Oklahoma City bombing Wednesday Woroniecki said "This has got to be related" FBI special agent Chuck Richards said Thursday that the agency is investigating Jim Morrill (NA) 50 9th DEA (on two floors) Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms Secret Service 8th Housing and Urban Development 7th Housing and Urban Development DEA 6th Marine Recruiting Small Business Administration Veterans Affairs Labor Department USDA Customs 4th Army Air Force Transportation Department 3rd General Accounting Office Health and Human Services 2nd Day-care center 20-40 6 1st Social Security Administration General Services Administration 20-40 Services le Recruiting I Business Administration 4 4i: :10::::: "1 ---s'' 4 (s: -7 111i 4e-e' 2-11 11 -o I f) i 4 --0 e000000) 1 i i 40000000J Ar 1 1r PlirDay-care 41 tA 4 0Ro where lk At :4 4-' 0 '''7f 'children died f-' 5VA 1 1 liceoe r0P4 iswo 07:10: I r''' i6--' i Ith st 17 1- 21 (NA) 21 10 (NA) 50 (NA) 18 (NA) children 65 43 0Wa icent were incinerated on the flPtreet Oklahoma InAS Fort 11 Worth Dallas Children iniuted at anothe daf-pare center at the YMCA across the Street from the lederal building Baptist En 1 Medical Center St Anthony Hospital State capitol Univ of Okla Medical Center Alfred Murrah 1 Building ARK THE CITY Oklahoma City Okla a Population: 444719 Area: 604 sq miles State of Oklahoma government is the largest employer with 35000 workers SOURCES: The Daily Oklahoman AP Development Counsellors International Oklahoma City lz I'dC'h7riii 0 at an0 pLe 141e1Untoet at theIMCA :1 4:7 iid L2enerral ::::::::7:7:: 4 theAdministration joat '-7: ti '7darosi ttia atraet iromthe riWitre Inc a Ilaederal building 1 'ii '7 4' i 4 i 7 4 i :4 ii 50 44 4: 0 0 Robinson' Ave -v- (Iklatill)ma KAN CitY i5th St 1 r1111---r41 '4---- gJ 'T Baptisilt ti Medical r-- Center Oklahoma Oklahoma Okla Hospital ---1 -111 uniy of City ARK THE CITY ItXAS Fort i 20 A a Population: 444719 III Oklahoma City Okla II Area: 604 sq miles I Alfred South Cemmunity Murrah St Anthony :11 State apitol 1 Building bi ksmtdicat Hospital INNONNUSIOn 5 INIMMMEM Mites P-7eer7A Worth ii Dallas Counsellors Om kpl al ploy oemr awl a ghi 0 mho v3aesnr n0AmopoeDne vwt oel SI rokpt ehmreesn Mies C) Waco SOURCES: The i IntSleartragatetei osn7al Deily Ok Charlottean Bowles helping guide response WASHINGTON Chariottean Erskine Bowles is keeping a close watch on the Oklahoma City bombing crisis As deputy White House chief of staff the No 2 staff position Bowles is di': recting Presi: dent Clin- foottrNs i-A ton's crisis I management ''L 5' team 5 In that po- sition Bowles 49 Ilk jut is coordinating the acBowles tions of various federal agencies including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms with the White House Bowles a former Charlotte investment banker joined Clinton's staff in September to help out with internal White House organization after a stint as head of the Small Business Administration "All I'm doing is coordinating" Bowles said Thursday John Monk Knight-Ridder Tribune By MELINDA HENNEBERGER New York Times OKLAHOMA CITY On Tuesday 21-year-old Amber Fleming wrote in her diary: "Worked from 10-6 Got my nails done Went over to Michael's after book study and watched 'Blazing Saddles' and took my kitten home" The next entry on Wednesday seemed to have been written by a different person "A federal building this morning was bombed" Fleming wrote "Hundreds of people are dead children included Terrorist attack 'slams admitted to doing it Scary! The system is going to end soon Like so many people in Oklahoma City Fleming says she always felt just a little bit superior about the safety and civility of Oklahoma City where locking up is strictly optional and people don't just talk they settle in and "visit" "I remember I went to Chicago" she said "walked down the streets saying 'Hi hi' and they acted like I wanted their purse I couldn't wait to get back to Oklahoma" Then the terrorist attack came to what many here had proudly referred to as a place where nothing ever happens And Fleming along with dozens of other residents say that neither they nor the city they love will ever be the same Now the authorities are referring to the entire downtown section where the streets have been cordoned off in a 6- by 10-block area as a crime scene Helicopters are buzzing overhead the place is awash with police officers and camera crews and most stores in the business district are closed if not boarded up A couple having sandwiches in downtown Kerr Park which is usually crowded on sunny weekdays had it almost to themselves on Thursday although they said they had spent the better part of their lunch hour trying to find a place to buy food All over town American flags are flying at half-staff And like Lathams Man's Shop north of downtown where a sign says "God Help Us" and "Pull Together Oklahomans" virtually every local church or company has replaced its scripture messages or advertisements with words of solidarity with the bombing victims "We don't usually look down and see Humvees in front of our building" said Bill Threlkeld a lawyer who had decided to take his usual noontime run despite the difficulty in finding a downtown route that had not been blocked by the police "Or guys with guns" added his running partner and fellow lawyer Tom Mullen In some parts of the city only a few blocks from the blast site life appeared to go on as if nothing had changed: children climbed the monkey bars in a church playground and shoppers returned en masse to Penn Square Mall But most people sensed on Thursday that something had permanently shifted "The place is in shock" Threlkeld said "And it will be forever" The tragedy folks said is bound to make usually Outgoing relaxed Oklahomans a little less open a little more cautious and newly burdened with an unfortunate sense of connection to the rest of the world "You don't expect terrorists to drop a bomb here" said Troy Mize a 31-year-old security guard at a medical building "Not in Oklahoma We didn't seem that important But if they can COITie int() Oklahoma City you don't know what to expect" ustim 4 roups fear backlash By ROBERT DVORCHAK Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY Islamic groups condemned the bombing of the federal office building in Oklahoma City and said Thursday they fear a backlash against makes our community feel outraged We understand the pain of the victims and their families" At a news conference President Clinton warned against the danger of stereotyping "This is not a question of anybody's religion This was murder This was evil" he said In a prepared statement Muslims in Charlotte also deplored the bombing "Along with the Muslim community in the city of Charlotte the Islamic Center of Charlotte wishes to express its deepest regret and indignation at Wednesday's tragedy in Oklahoma" said the statement released by Yahya Flendi the center's imam "As a community we condemn this heinous act of rest warrants were issued for two white men suspected of renting the truck that was packed with explosives and parked outside the nine-story building Neither federal nor local authorities have named any group as suspects But some local politicians noted that Oklahoma City was the site of a 1992 Islamic conference featuring inflammatory rhetoric and they cited parallels to the World Trade Center blast in which the suspects had Mideastern backgrounds "Irnmediately Arab-Americans became suspects by association" said 1-lamzi Moghrahbi chairman of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee "This bloodshed which has left defenseless innocent men women and children dead in its wake "We wish to express our condolences to the families of the victims and we pray for the speedy recovery of the injured As law-abiding citizens we call upon law enforcement to swiftly apprehend these criminals so that they can be brought to justice" About 6 million Americans are followers of Islam Linking terrorist crimes to Islam puts millions of law-abiding people in danger the Islamic Shura Council of North America said in a statement "The crime of any individual or group cannot be transferred to an entire racial or religious community" it said "We know we've been labeled and it won't go away until this is cleared up We want the perpetrators to be caught and to be given the death penalty" said Jebal Abdul Raheem Aziz leader of the Islamic Community of Oklahoma Police investigated death threats and threatening calls at two mosques after Wednesday's car bombing The FBI said Thursday that ar Wilmington building cleared after threat Bomb threats were called in Thursday to two public buildings in North Carolina one of which was evacuated briefly The federal building in Wilmington was evacuated be cause of a telephoned bomb threat Police found no bomb and employees returned to the building within 30 minutes A few minutes later a caller to Johnston County's 911 said a bomb had been set to go off at 9:40 am at the Wake County Courthouse in Raleigh Police conducted a quick search but no evacuation was ordered and nothing was found Police are following leads to the caller but said the threat itself was a hoax Child shown in dramatic rescue effort was pronounced dead soon afterward 13'''' 'i4 I 4 0: i00 tt li ft 4: -i A 1 'IA 4wit :7: 4 Pi: 0- 4- 4 le 4 0 440 I N1 i 1 'i A 0 if i -4-1 I'' 40-1'V 44 1 '4 p01 tA 0 4 ti 411 1 1 ltt l'i ''''to i I 0' itf 10 4 i 11 I 4 1 Oli 7 fil 4-L' -lie L0 i- 4' ifroo I- 1111 Larlik141k 'k Assuctatoo Preb5 arms was displayed on front pages of newspapers all over the world Thursday It was taken by Charles Porter IV a bank clerk who was in the area with his camera when the bomb went off Fields said a police officer handed the child to him shortly after he arrived on the scene Fields carried the baby covered in insulation and dust 50 to 100 feet to emergency medical workers The baby girl Bay lee Almon had turned a year old the day before the bombing On Thursday her mother Aren Almon 22 had a tearful meeting with Fields and the police officers who tried to rescue her daughter "Thank you for getting her out of there as fast as you could" Almon told police Sgt John Avera who had handed the baby to Fields By LORAINE LAWSON Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY In a day of searing images the one that haunted the world was a firefighter clutching a bloodied baby But the hopes of everyone who saw the dramatic photo were in vain: The child did not survive The child was pronounced dead by emergency medical technicians said firefighter Chris Fields whose attempt to rescue the baby was captured by an amateur photographer and transmitted worldwide by The Associated Press Emergency workers pronounced the baby dead on the scene shortly after a bomb ripped through the downtown federal office building Wednesday morning A picture Of Fields cradling the baby in his Want to help? Organizations accepting donatk)lis for victims: is The American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund PO Box 37243 Washington DC 20013 a The Bnal Brith Disaster Relief Fund 1640 Rhode Island Aye NW Washington DC 20036 Church World Service Oklahoma City Explosion Response 0 Box 968 Account 0C-2 Elkhart IN 48515 a Salvation Army Box 12600 Oklahoma City OK 73157 Feed the Children: (405) 942-0228 or 1-800-741-1441 Hopes dashed: Oklahoma City firefighter Chris Fields cradles a baby who died soon afterward i.