U.S. Airline Threat Level At Highest After Plot Foiled (Red)

ClickonDetroit ^ | August 10, 2006 | AP

[BILL_C]

"And when the next mass murder takes place, what response can we expect? I'd like to know the "next step(s)" that the US has in mind."

And there's the $million question, at least. I'd answer that by asking what we do to make it SO PAINFUL to the killers that they'd NEVER think of doing it again. Don't answer publicly, but answer that to yourself.

[Rte66]

July 23, 2006, 7:00AM
Experts detonate bomb at complex
Texas City officials look to survivor for clues

By KEVIN MORAN and ERIC HANSON
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

TEXAS CITY - Bomb experts Thursday used one explosive to destroy another, purposely setting off a blast and a small fire in an apartment unit already damaged after a homemade substance exploded and killed tenant Matthew Robert Rugo, 21.

Just why Rugo and roommate Curtis Jetton, who survived the Wednesday afternoon blast with minor burns, mixed a chemical substance similar to one that FBI experts said has been used by Middle East suicide bombers remained a mystery after the pair's apartment was rendered safe enough to enter, Texas City Police Chief Robert Burby said.

Federal, state and local bomb experts said the mixture Rugo and Jetton created was too dangerous to remove from the pair's Lakeview Apartments unit, so they ordered hundreds of people to evacuate the 304-unit complex and the neighboring 132-unit Oaks apartment complex around 11 a.m. Thursday.

Shortly after 1:30 p.m., with dump trucks parked outside the pair's ground-floor apartment as shields against possible flying debris, bomb squad members used one explosive to destroy the peroxide-based material left over in the unit after Rugo's death.

Burby and other officials declined to say what, if any, explanation Jetton gave them after he was arrested and charged with felony possession of explosive materials and making false statements after he dialed 911 for help.

Asked about a televised report that Rugo and Jetton may have been part of a four-member local anarchist group, Burby said late Thursday: "I have nothing to substantiate that and I don't know where that came from."

FBI spokeswoman Shauna Dunlap said: "We have not confirmed that information at this time."

Texas City Mayor Matt Doyle said there were no hints of terroristic activity.

"If we thought that this was a terrorist act, the action would be a lot different than we've seen today," Doyle said after an afternoon news conference in a city that is home to one of the largest petrochemical complexes in the world. "Certainly, the FBI would have raised the level of security inside the city."
......
Federal and local officials said they believe the substance was peroxide-based and similar to TATP, organic peroxide and a primary high explosive. It takes the form of a white crystalline powder with a distinctive acrid smell and has been described as a weapon of choice for suicide bombers.

TATP can be easily prepared in a basement lab using starting materials obtained from hardware stores, pharmacies and stores selling cosmetics, according to the Global Security Web site.

Although the substance that killed Rugo was described by FBI Special Agent Kasey Salway as "extremely sensitive to heat, shock and friction," and very powerful in relatively small amounts, the two blasts left just one of Lakeview Apartments' 22 separate buildings temporarily uninhabitable Thursday.
.....
[snip]

[nevergore]

Sorry...you're not remotely close to correct or re-stating facts.....

BTW, I'm a pilot....

Homeland Security conducted tests in early 2002 regarding what a small amount (6-8 oz.) of HE would do to a fully pressurized plane at cruising altitude.

The results were devastating, it would result in complete structural failure on the aircraft.

You were correct on your statement regarding bullet holes in the fuselage of an aircraft not being a problem...small holes will not even cause a bump in the flight.....

Check your facts first...LOL

[Leatherneck_MT]

Thanks for the story. I hadn't heard about that one.

[ritewingwarrior]

Once again the scourge of political correctness leads our government to make foolish precautions. The TSA is now demanding that people dispose of any and all liquid-like substance in their bags. Hairgel, makeup, lotion, etc. Until they start physically searching people, it is nothing for these terrorists to carry these chemicals in their pants, in glass or plastic vials.
Stop with the stupidity and start searching all Arabic looking men from head to toe, and leave the rest of the people alone, particulary the elderly.

[George Smiley]

This one, too:

*** A new terrorist explosive, triacetone triperoxide (TATP), has recently appeared as a weapon in the Middle East. TATP has been used by suicide bombers in Israel, and was chosen as a detonator in 2001 by the thwarted "shoe bomber" Richard Reid. It can be as or more powerful than military analogs. TATP is one of the most sensitive explosives known, being extremely sensitive to impact, temperature change and friction. Another peroxide-type explosive is hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD), which is less sensitive than TATP but still dangerous. HMTD is somewhat more sensitive to impact than TCPT, but both are very sensitive explosives.

*** This morning I thought it was Nitro/Glycerine also.

Your post gave me mental images of everybody doing about 25 jumping jacks as part of the process of going through airline security.

[George Smiley]

Sorry...you're not remotely close to correct or re-stating facts.....

BTW, I'm a pilot....

Homeland Security conducted tests in early 2002 regarding what a small amount (6-8 oz.) of HE would do to a fully pressurized plane at cruising altitude.

The results were devastating, it would result in complete structural failure on the aircraft.

You were correct on your statement regarding bullet holes in the fuselage of an aircraft not being a problem...small holes will not even cause a bump in the flight.....

Check your facts first...LOL

It was your use of the words "a small rupture" that got me started.

Methinks half a pound of HE going off would do a bit more than that.

[tortoise]

TATP - they were just saying the plot was to carry the parts on, put them together and detonate either by friction (throwing a small container against something, for example) or electronic detonation (such as was suspected in the OU bombing suicide, for example, which may have exploded prematurely, before electronics used).

Not quite so easy. Two of the three ingredients have pretty noxious smells that would be noticed. Also, precipitating TATP crystals is a slow process, doubly so in a process with poor temperature control. I doubt you could get enough to do the job in any kind of remotely timely fashion, and certainly not one that would not alert the cabin by the noxious mix of acetone and concentrated sulphuric acid.

However, there are quite a number of liquid and binary liquid detonables, a number of which are very powerful, but they mostly require detonators.

The closest and most innocuous example I can think of that would actually work in your hypothetical case is a powerful and moderately stable primary (also a peroxide explosive like TATP) that uses peroxide and citric acid plus another semi-innocuous white tablet that can be purchased OTC. That on-the-fly synthesis requires nothing nasty and the result is much better than TATP. However, unlike TATP, this should show up on chemical bomb scanners looking for nitrogen signatures and similar.

[Old Professer]

Nitric acid and glycerine come to mind.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Care to conjecture on the failure {deporting innocent citizens} rate of your plan?
Furthermore, why do you propose trashing the religious clause in the the Amendment?

Until the imams come out and openly denounce what these muslims are doing (they haven't done so), we are all at risk. It is simple logic that the imams are teaching their followers to do these things. Therefore, the imams AND their followers must leave. No negotiation.

[I'm ALL Right!]

Of course, 19 of them attacked us before we attacked Iraq...but that is "an inconvenient truth" that the democrats like to forget.

[Slip18]

Saw an article on Modern Marvels that you can make an innocuous bomb with Mentos and Coca-Cola in a plastic bottle. Put the Mentos in the Coke, shake a bit, and voila!, you've got a little bomb. I thought it was pretty amazing.

I still like the vinegar and soda volcanoes.

[TeleStraightShooter]

Most imams have openly denounced violent jihad.
I concur that for non citizens who have not, they should be addressed.

[JustPiper]

thanks Sarge!

[Oorang]

Thanks very much for the ping Sarge, I do appreciate it.

[Salem]

---

AMERICA AT WAR
At Salem the Soldier's Homepage ~
Honored member of FReeper Leapfrog's "Enemy of Islam" list.
Islam, a Religion of Peace®? Some links...  by backhoe
Translated Pre-War IRAQ Documents  by jveritas
Mohammed, The Mad Poet Quoted....  by PsyOp
One FReeper On The Line  by SNOWFLAKE
The Clash of Ideologies - A Review

"It's time we recognized the nature of the conflict. It's total war and we are all involved. Nobody on our side is exempted because of age, gender, or handicap. The Islamofacists have stolen childhood from the world." [FReeper Retief]