Explosives
Al-Qaeda affiliates have used recipes for Home-made Horrors
making a version of its US equivalent, Home-made explosives and sinister
Composite-4 (C-4). chemical mixtures are now high on the
present-day terrorist’s preference list given
Continuing Trends their accessibility, ease of transportation
The car bomb sadly continues as a prime and, as many home-mades are high
weapon of terrorist’s arsenal, with no end explosives, potential destructive value. All
of explosive contents being used with explosives are chemical in nature and can
tragic results. With greater restrictions on simply be a physical mixture of an oxidiser
fertiliser in the EU, this and other standard- and an organic fuel. TATP (triacetone
issue military explosives are not always triperoxide), which one of the most
available to home-grown terrorists, unless dangerous and sensitive explosives known,
they have access to a ready chain of may be liquid or solid; it is not ideal in the
supply. A lot of ammonium nitrate is way Semtex is for terrorist purposes as it is
needed for a successful explosion, but it susceptible to impact, temperature
has not gone out of fashion for overseas change, and friction.
car bomb attacks. The 2003 Turkish and TATP attained notoriety first with its use in
Saudi bombings and the 2002 Bali attack Alfred Nobel. Ironically the Peace Prize is the 7 July 2005 London transit bombings.
(at least 1,000 kg) show that it continues in the name of the inventor of dynamite. Richard Reid combined it with PETN in that
to be a favoured bulk explosive. Some 500 shoe. It is chosen because its constituents
kg (enough for a repeat Canary Wharf) was are not only powerful – just a few hundred
found in a self-storage unit in west London was quickly snuffed out because the grams can produce hundreds of litres of
in March 2004. ambitious terrorists had simply filled the gas in a fraction of a second – but it can be
Car bombs – such as those which did not cars with too much petrol and gas. prepared using commercially available
successfully detonate in London and However, the Glasgow attack caused materials: acetone (nail polish remover),
Glasgow in 2007 – may now include gas or mayhem and injury when passengers tried hydrogen peroxide (hair bleach of 15-25
chemical canisters containing toxic to escape. volume content) and a common acid,
industrial chemicals (TICs) such as Recent incidents involving highly sulphuric acid. These can be obtained from
chlorine. This mode of attack was used volatile explosive mixtures have targeted pharmacies and hairdressing retail outlets:
subway networks – in the UK, Spain, and suicide bombers in the Middle East have
India. The PETN component of Semtex commonly used this improvised material.
was in the device worn in the shoe of No more than a kilogram of TATP would
“elipsisTATP, which one Richard Reid when he boarded American be needed to breach the body of the
Airlines flight 63 from Paris to Miami on aircraft, particularly if the bomber is seated
of the most 22 December 2001. The 1000-kg car near a window or the fuselage. Mixing
bomb used to blow up the Marriott Hotel concentrated hydrogen peroxide (CHP) with
dangerous and in Islamabad in 2008, which killed 53, a fuel can create a liquid explosive. Fuels
was packed with 600kg of RDX and TNT such as acetone and ethanol may be used,
sensitive explosives explosives and laced with aluminium but even things like black pepper and
powder as an incendiary accelerator sugary drink powders can be used.
known, may be liquid (previously used by the IRA). Hexamethylene triperoxide diamine
Other known explosives – dynamite, (HMTD) is another peroxide-based explosive
or solidelipsis” sheet explosives, black and smokeless of concern of which only small quantities –
powder – are still likely to be used in one bottle-sized bomb – would be needed
certain countries. Acetone, hydrogen to rip a hole in a plane’s hull. Like TATP,
from January to March 2007 by Iraqi peroxide, and acid mixes, however, while HTMD is extremely unstable and can be set
insurgents, but it is difficult to ascertain long known, are a newer threat and less off by heat, movement and even contact
whether the subsequent deaths were well practised. The choice of explosive with metal. TATP is normally created as
caused by the chemicals or the explosions depends on local availability: for crystals, HMTD, as a powder. HMTD can be
themselves, although injuries from example, the 2004 Madrid attacks used
chemicals were severe in many cases. ECO, a type of dynamite manufactured
The potential to cause life-long injury and in Spain and normally used in
vast fires from such weapons is enormous. construction and mining. Detonation is
The car bomb attempts on London and not always by a suicide bomber. The
Glasgow involved gas canisters and failed detonation method varies constantly:
to go off because the mobile phones that the car driver may fire a single detonator
were intended as the means of detonation to initiate boosters which have replaced
failed to explode the canisters loaded into the original mine fuses. Or, a distant
the backs of the vehicles – missed calls operator can set off the VBIED with The notoriously hard to detect tri-acetone
were the attempts to detonate the devices. command wire or radio signal tri-peroxide (TATP) has been the explosive
Only one detonator sparked, but even that (sometimes with the driver still inside). chosen by many suicide bombers
12 Register now for FREE instant access to ASI online by visiting
www.asi-mag.com February 2009 Aviationsecurityinternational
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