Yemeni Aircraft Bomb Plot Foiled
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This is a total non-sense. Sorry, but which serious terrorist would build a bomb and put it on a cargo plane from Yemen? That story stinks!
If you really wanted to hurt modern society, there are so many things to do which are much easier. Just find some local guys that put a bomb in a bag which they deposit/forget/whatever at a train station or similar, have a few of them explode and there you go. But honestly, some unimportant cargo aircraft that nobody cares about (normally)? I am not buying it...
If you really wanted to hurt modern society, there are so many things to do which are much easier. Just find some local guys that put a bomb in a bag which they deposit/forget/whatever at a train station or similar, have a few of them explode and there you go. But honestly, some unimportant cargo aircraft that nobody cares about (normally)? I am not buying it...
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It gets fishier and fishier the more I think about it.
Lead azide compounds will detonate if you drop them a foot or so, they are incredibly sensitive.
Having seen ramp rats around aircraft enough times there is no way it would have not gone off. Whoever put it into the container/pallet either got very lucky, or there is something very odd going on here.
Lead azide compounds will detonate if you drop them a foot or so, they are incredibly sensitive.
Having seen ramp rats around aircraft enough times there is no way it would have not gone off. Whoever put it into the container/pallet either got very lucky, or there is something very odd going on here.
This is a total non-sense. Sorry, but which serious terrorist would build a bomb and put it on a cargo plane from Yemen? That story stinks!
If you really wanted to hurt modern society, there are so many things to do which are much easier. Just find some local guys that put a bomb in a bag which they deposit/forget/whatever at a train station or similar, have a few of them explode and there you go. But honestly, some unimportant cargo aircraft that nobody cares about (normally)? I am not buying it...
If you really wanted to hurt modern society, there are so many things to do which are much easier. Just find some local guys that put a bomb in a bag which they deposit/forget/whatever at a train station or similar, have a few of them explode and there you go. But honestly, some unimportant cargo aircraft that nobody cares about (normally)? I am not buying it...
Paxing All Over The World
BBC reporting of a 'dry run' in September: BBC News - Parcel bomb plotters 'used dry run', say US officials
A US official has told the BBC that suspect packages from Yemen were intercepted in September, in what may have been a dry run for last week's foiled parcel bomb plot.
A US official has told the BBC that suspect packages from Yemen were intercepted in September, in what may have been a dry run for last week's foiled parcel bomb plot.
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A bombed B747F crashing onto a highly populated town/city would be a massive publicity coup for Al Qaeda.
If you have the technology to make lead azide and PETN, then surely you would use a GPS or barometric device. Not a mobile phone circuit.
I'm still struggling to see the logic in this.
So they were either going to blow a Rabbi's printer up, which is highly unlikely, or try and "down" an aircraft over a city, which also incredibly unlikely with that amount of PETN.
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Geir Moulson, The Associated Press
BERLIN - The mail bombs intercepted last week contained 10.58 ounces (300 grams) and 15.11 ounces (400 grams) of the explosive PETN, a German security official said Monday
BERLIN - The mail bombs intercepted last week contained 10.58 ounces (300 grams) and 15.11 ounces (400 grams) of the explosive PETN, a German security official said Monday
"Any advance on 400 ?"
"To you, Sir. The gentleman with the mirrored sunglasses and earpiece."
"400 then."
"Going once...."
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PETN is not hard to synthesize, I'm surprised anyone would send it through the mail though. I could make kilos of the stuff by 5PM today, I won't because I'm not precluded to that kind of stuff.
But by your logic lead azide was sent there as well? I wouldn't mind making that in a fumehood, under inert conditions, and very cold, but how would someone in the Yemen get hold of that? If it was there then it has come from somewhere.
Quite where that somewhere is is probably now the question.
Also I am not convinced about what exactly was their aim. Detonate it over a city? Not with that amount, it may cause failure of the structure, but I cannot imagine it to be catastrphic.
If "they" are planning a spectacular event, it's going to be found now surely. Plus if you are going to use a high explosive, why not use RDX or something of it's ilk that has a higher chance of causing damage?
But by your logic lead azide was sent there as well? I wouldn't mind making that in a fumehood, under inert conditions, and very cold, but how would someone in the Yemen get hold of that? If it was there then it has come from somewhere.
Quite where that somewhere is is probably now the question.
Also I am not convinced about what exactly was their aim. Detonate it over a city? Not with that amount, it may cause failure of the structure, but I cannot imagine it to be catastrphic.
If "they" are planning a spectacular event, it's going to be found now surely. Plus if you are going to use a high explosive, why not use RDX or something of it's ilk that has a higher chance of causing damage?
No More Parcels by Air from Yemen
Now that will bring the Western economies to their knees
Mind you it does put a dent in khat shipments.
AQ would get considerably more bang for the buck sending nefarious parcels from inside the Homeland, especially with TSA taking charge of the perimeter of every UPS, DHL and Fedex branch
Mind you it does put a dent in khat shipments.
AQ would get considerably more bang for the buck sending nefarious parcels from inside the Homeland, especially with TSA taking charge of the perimeter of every UPS, DHL and Fedex branch
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On the one hand ..
There was talk some time ago of getting hijackers aboard Frieghters, perhaps this was to test security at a basic level .. that is what I would consider doing placing myself in the mindset of these deluded animals.
That said .. f@x news and the like are little more that the whipping boys of political spin ... take your choice... mine is to turn off the TV and think.
That said .. f@x news and the like are little more that the whipping boys of political spin ... take your choice... mine is to turn off the TV and think.
And how on Earth would you know the routing? And how would you detonate it?
If you have the technology to make lead azide and PETN, then surely you would use a GPS or barometric device. Not a mobile phone circuit.
I'm still struggling to see the logic in this.
If you have the technology to make lead azide and PETN, then surely you would use a GPS or barometric device. Not a mobile phone circuit.
I'm still struggling to see the logic in this.
This is all conjecture of course.
Trash du Blanc
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could detonate the bomb from a car parked in a strategic position near the airport as the aircraft approached.
And even a catastrophic failure would likely just make a big scorch mark on the ground. Chances of hitting a structure are not high.
Maybe everyone is overthinking this. They sent them to a synagogue. Maybe they wanted to blow up the synagogue.
Maybe everyone is overthinking this. They sent them to a synagogue. Maybe they wanted to blow up the synagogue.
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why send the bombs half way round to world when they could be assembled locally?
a) there are local terrorists in the US and
b) there is a concerted effort between Yemen and US-based terrorists.
I do believe a lot of people are over-thinking this.
Most likely simply a bunch of nutcases with a half-assed 'plan' with very little chance of success.
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Overthinking it maybe, but possibly in the other sense that the objective was merely
a) to reignite media attention to "the big bad guys hiding in caves"
b) cause disruption & delay (whether to travel of passengers or in this case cargo)
Only a few weeks til Christmas, when millions of extra packages enter the system. Wouldn't it be sad for all those kiddies if because of extra security implemented, ther presents were late and get there in January.
Ok so maybe I'm being a bit sarcastic but you get my point. Death & injury aren't the only desired results of "terrorism".
And I wonder yoo if the only point of this was to further complicate the inconvenience of air travel by a knock-on effect from altered security screening. It was cargo aircraft but look how the TSA now has "new" procedures... in AIRPORTS.
a) to reignite media attention to "the big bad guys hiding in caves"
b) cause disruption & delay (whether to travel of passengers or in this case cargo)
Only a few weeks til Christmas, when millions of extra packages enter the system. Wouldn't it be sad for all those kiddies if because of extra security implemented, ther presents were late and get there in January.
Ok so maybe I'm being a bit sarcastic but you get my point. Death & injury aren't the only desired results of "terrorism".
And I wonder yoo if the only point of this was to further complicate the inconvenience of air travel by a knock-on effect from altered security screening. It was cargo aircraft but look how the TSA now has "new" procedures... in AIRPORTS.
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consider ...
In the past couple of weeks we had a senior official at BA suggesting that security measures were inappropiate, Virgin complaining that departure taxes were about to double on certain routes .... and now ? hey guess what ... toner cartridges.
There is a parallel industry to our own, a parasite that has to justify it's existance... join the dots.
There is a parallel industry to our own, a parasite that has to justify it's existance... join the dots.
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...When investigators pulled the Chicago-bound packages off cargo planes in England and the United Arab Emirates Friday, they found the bombs wired to cell phones. The communication cards had been removed and the phones could not receive calls, officials said, making it likely the terrorists intended the alarm or timer functions to detonate the bombs.
"The cell phone probably would have been triggered by the alarm functions and it would have exploded mid-air," said a U.S. official briefed on the investigation, who like other officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the case.
The official also said Tuesday that each bomb was attached to a syringe containing lead azide, a chemical initiator that would have detonated PETN explosives packed into each printer cartridge. Both PETN and a syringe were used in the failed bombing last Christmas of a Detroit-bound airliner.
"The cell phone probably would have been triggered by the alarm functions and it would have exploded mid-air," said a U.S. official briefed on the investigation, who like other officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the case.
The official also said Tuesday that each bomb was attached to a syringe containing lead azide, a chemical initiator that would have detonated PETN explosives packed into each printer cartridge. Both PETN and a syringe were used in the failed bombing last Christmas of a Detroit-bound airliner.
I see from the URL these mail bombs are in the 'Politics' section of the paper.
These guys have years of experience building bombs with cell phone ringer circuits, looks like the timer function was used to initiate the detonation instead of a phone call. You might not know which plane the bomb is on but you can guess it will be airborne say, 18 hours after initial departure for a next day international delivery or 36 hours for a two day delivery. Especially if you've checked the timing with a dry run in September. Put in the tracking number for your Apple Store iPhone and you get the exact routing and times as FedEx or UPS bring your purchase around the world.
Bombing an airplane with a timer detonator is nothing new, remember the Sikh bombings within an hour of each other in 1985?
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In a former life, I also .. legitimately built bombs, I built legitimately, things that look like bombs ... this is .. well .. a news story for whatever aim ... and if the aim was to bring down aircraft rather than stir up the media, we would have been looking at a different picture imho.
And how on Earth would you know the routing?
And how would you detonate it?
Its just the fact that they have demonstrated that can get these items on board an aircraft, especially at this time of the year.