Explosives
the 1993 World Trade Centre bomb plot)
timed one, apparently diluted bomb to
explode during a Philippines Airlines flight
to Japan, killing a Japanese businessman.
The plane itself was not seriously damaged
and made a safe emergency landing at
Okinawa. Following the revelations, airlines
were also told to scan gels, aerosols and
liquids that could be explosives in disguise.
Growing Expertise
It took the IRA around a decade to advance
its expertise and methods after several
‘own goals’ in the 1970s, but today’s
suicide terrorists are less likely to need
more than the most basic skills to make
A shoe bomb under X-ray inspection (Credit: Vidisco) and deploy their bombs. In other
operations the bomb-makers do not
ignited on the aircraft by a detonator like peroxide-based explosive, HMTD, in the execute the bombings but remain safe – as
those found on a firecracker, about the size batteries, as TATP acts as a detonator. Had their expertise is precious – while sending
of a short pencil. A charge strong enough to the target been aviation and the plot suicide ‘martyrs’ with minimal training to
set off the detonator could be provided by a succeeded, it would have been carry out bombings. Today’s groups are
travel alarm clock or a mobile phone. HMTD catastrophic, killing thousands of innocent learning from past ones, in addition to, or
is said to be safer to handle than acetone passengers and rivalling 9/11 in its ferocity. instead of, the training they may receive in
peroxide and significant amounts can be the Pakistan-Afghan border camps.
prepared in five hours – that is, within the Use of the Internet is of growing concern.
span of a transatlantic or other long-haul Information acquisition and sharing is a
flight. The components for HMTD can all be “elipsiswhat took the IRA chief source of gaining technical and
purchased over the counter with little operational know-how – from kitchen lab
suspicion. and other groups many set-up and basic mixes to more
sophisticated IED manufacture. Terrorist
The ‘Liquid Explosives years to learn through training materials are accessible on jihadi
Plot’ websites and forums and contain accurate
The eight British citizens convicted in word of mouth, stolen information about military tactics,
August 2008 of conspiracy to murder by explosives, technology and intelligence
the use of hydrogen peroxide to make a manuals, and trial and craftsmanship. What took the IRA and
bomb revealed the most notorious liquid other groups many years to learn through
explosives plot to date. In a UK police error can now be learnt word of mouth, stolen manuals, and trial
operation two years earlier, some 25 and error can now be learnt quickly by
people were arrested and 17 charged with quickly by spending a spending a few minutes on-line.
plotting to destroy up to 10 transatlantic Controlling the Internet is as difficult as
aircraft with liquid explosives hidden in soft few minutes on-lineelipsis” restricting the commonly available
drinks bottles in hand luggage. The security commercially acquired materials for
emergency that ensued, which virtually today’s would-be bombers. Therefore it is
brought the world’s airlines and airports to The liquids restrictions are therefore intelligence and police pre-emption which
a grinding halt for several days, resulted in unlikely to be abandoned, regardless of the continue to be the prime means of
new restrictions on liquids taken on board. mixed verdict; more plots have allegedly countering the many plots to blow up
Most notably, the accused were acquitted been intercepted. In fact, concerns about people and property, and at airports,
of intending to blow up the aircraft, for liquids on board aircraft surfaced more countermeasures will continue to evolve to
reasons which are not appropriate for than a decade earlier when an al Qaeda- produce improved means of detecting
discussion here. The bottles of liquid inspired plan known as the Bojinka (Arabic: materials and spotting those individuals
explosives were, nevertheless, pre-mixed – ‘big bang’) plot, scheduled for January attempting to use the air transit network to
that is, they would not have had to find 1995, was uncovered in December 1994. cause death, injury and mayhem.
somewhere to mix the two substances to The plotters, based in the Philippines,
make the explosive – and with hollowed out planned to smuggle a stable form of liquid
AA batteries that would have hidden nitro-glycerine explosive, that was to be The author is Editor, “World Security
detonators. If both types of liquid peroxide- hidden in contact lens solution bottles Report”, former Editor of “Jane’s Nuclear,
based explosive were to have been used, together with digital watches as timers and Biological and Chemical Defence” and
TATP (dyed to match the soft drink) in the 9-volt batteries smuggled in shoes, onto 11 author of “IRA: The Bombs and the Bullets
soft-drink mixture in the 500ml plastic US-bound flights over the Pacific. One of – A History of Deadly Ingenuity”, published
bottles would have set off the other the plotters, Ramzi Yousef (mastermind of by Irish Academic Press.
Aviationsecurityinternational February 2009 www.asi-mag.com 13
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