Bali terrorists make bomb that leaves no trace

The Sun-Herald/Fairfax Digital ^ | October 16, 2005 | Catherine Munro

[LibertyRocks]

Indonesian forensic experts fear terrorists have developed a bomb that does not leave a trace.

Police working with Australian, Japanese and British experts to piece together the methods used for the October 1 bombings in Bali believe that Malaysian terrorist Azahari bin Husin may have used ingredients that are impossible to detect after detonation, the Indonesian investigative magazine Tempo reports.

Few details are known about the analysis being conducted at police headquarters in Jakarta to establish what was used in the attack that killed 23 people, including four Australians.

But there is speculation hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen chloride and triacetone triperoxide (TATP) was mixed with citric acid, a catalyst, for the explosion. TATP has been used by suicide bombers in Israel.

Investigators of the London bombings reportedly told Indonesian police such a combination would leave only traces that were already in the atmosphere: carbon monoxide and water.

[LibertyRocks]

Sounds like a development of this sort would make it awfully hard for investigators to prove an explosive substance existed in items found and then detonated by bomb squads, as well as hard for them to trace the source. This is not good...

[LibertyRocks]

Ping for an awful "invention"...

Reminds me of the recent ECU bomb threat where they "detonated 6 copper pipes" but afterwards found no trace of explosives... That could've been bad reporting of course, but this article makes one think.

[Jet Jaguar]

Bump.

[Southack]

It's nonsense. The acetone (triacetone) alone leaves an enormous residue trail.

And smell. You know it by its more common name: nail polish remover.

[LibertyRocks]

Are you qualified to make that assumption? They aren't talking about smells - they are talking about residue AFTER detonation...

[indcons]

Ping....not connected to the OU bombing but interesting nevertheless.

[Northern Alliance]

I don't see where this is a big deal. The most common bomb is composed of fertilizer and diesel fuel - mostly untraceable. Even if it was traced, how much benefit is that?

I can't recall a major Islamofascist bombing where identifying the bomber was all that difficult. In the first Bali bombing, the guy used his brother in law's truck or something, that had his license plate or the registration number was on the frame.

[TN4Liberty]

I'm no expert, but even in an explosion I would doubt that the reaction would consume 100 percent of every material. Even the inability to measure perfectly would come into play.

Time will tell I guess.

[R. Scott]

Nor will he ever give up his chewing tobacco and spittoon, according to an insider …

The explosive’s lack of trace would in itself be a fingerprint. Combined with the remains of the packaging, detonator and actuator there isn’t much difference between working this type of scene and one where C4 was used.

[LibertyRocks]

I'm obviously not an expert on these things either, that's why to me hearing that there is no residue to even figure out what the bomb was made of is rather intriguing(sp?). I wouldn't think it could burn off 100% either.

I'm hoping there are some chemists or munitions experts here at FR that can give us insight (not how or with what), but to tell us if it matters, and even if it is possible...

My first layman's thought would that it would be hard for them to prove in court that someone created and intended on setting off a real bomb vs. a hoax. If you've got no proof of explosive residue (as is apparently the case at ECU) there would be no way to prove that the "suspicious package" the bomb squad set off was indeed a bomb...

[R. Scott]

Oops on the quote - leftover from another thread.

[LibertyRocks]

Well that does make a lot of sense, but what about in cases where a bomb squad detonates a suspicious device/package. Wouldn't it make it rather hard to prove there was explosive material in the device to begin with?

[Ichneumon]

If you've got no proof of explosive residue (as is apparently the case at ECU) there would be no way to prove that the "suspicious package" the bomb squad set off was indeed a bomb...

You mean, aside from the big explosion?

[OneLoyalAmerican]

Greetings LR:

A reasonable assumption: given explosives terminology, as with firearms terminology; the dear reporter ignorantly substitutes industry specific words. The explosives precursors used by the Bali Islaminazis are purchase source untraceable. The homemade explosives are constructed without the explosives industry specific"taggants."

Cheers,
OLA

[LibertyRocks]

Well yes, I suppose so, but from what I've been told the bomb squads (depending on the situation) use their own explosives to detonate the device found, thus making a pretty big explosion in itself... (i.e. the detonation of the m80 found near UCLA a week ago Fri. Quite a boom - and deeper than what I remember an m80 sounding like on 4th of July many years back...)

Still, I would think it would be hard for them to prove in court - what are you going to do convict using a video of the detonation and measure the size of the fireball and/or sound? I mean maybe...

But, I'm probably in way over my head on this one. Speculation from me really does no good here. (o:

I'll let others with more experience and qualifications hash this one out! LOL

[R. Scott]

Even if the package contained only the explosive – and no hardware – the resulting blast would be larger than expected from just the detonating charge. That would be proof enough it contained explosives.

[ovrtaxt]

A bomb that leaves no trace- except for all the blood and body parts, and screaming people, and media apologists, and...

[Paul_Denton]

Well if they know it was used by suicide bombers in Israel, then I do not know how it is untracable.

[Paul_Denton]

The homemade explosives are constructed without the explosives industry specific"taggants."

What about the ingrediants used to make the explosive?

[LibertyRocks]

TATP yes, but apparently not with this "new combination" of chemicals...

"But there is speculation hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen chloride and triacetone triperoxide (TATP) was mixed with citric acid, a catalyst, for the explosion."