Posted on 03/18/2007 4:52:43 AM PDT by Clive
Investigators say a woman is lucky to be alive after a pipe bomb planted under a car in Ramsay exploded while she was backing out of her driveway yesterday morning.
The bomb, made from a plastic pipe and gunpowder, exploded under the car, causing the air bags to inflate and sending the woman fleeing in terror but not injured.
Had the bomb been made of metal and filled with a bit more gunpowder, the explosion would likely have been fatal, fire investigator Jim Robinson said.
"I haven't been to many pipe bomb calls," he said.
"But this one seems to be a bit more sophisticated."
Police officers at the scene said it's not known if the 33-year-old victim was targeted.
Although the car suffered little external damage, the explosion was so intense it rocked the nearest apartment building at 716 Burns Ave. S.E., causing neighbours to run out and investigate.
The impact felt like a car had been driven into the building, neighbour Alex Rowat said.
"I ran out and there was a cloud of smoke," he said.
"You could smell the gunpowder."
Rowat said he was unable to turn off the car and while he and another neighbour investigated the scene, they discovered a large piece of plastic pipe.
He said he was shocked after finding bomb fragments and realizing someone intentionally placed it under his neighbour's car.
"She's very unassuming," he said. "I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt her."
The bomb was attached beneath the car by some sort of wire and when the woman backed out of the alleyway behind her home, it caused the pin to separate from the device and explode, said Robinson.
Neighbour Dan Schnider said when he ran outside the woman was standing by the car in total shock.
"It's scary," he said.
"If it had been a bigger explosion it could have ignited our gas tank."
Investigators from the arson unit, TAC team, downtown station and fire department cordoned off a large part of the neighbourhood while they scoured the scene.
A robot, equipped with a camera, was directed to the car by remote control to look for any additional devices.
Police say they have no motive or suspects identified.
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Fire investigator Jim, eh?
Whether or not she was targeted, her car definitely was.
Had someone lit a slow match and tossed the device under the car, I would be willing to assume vandalism and a non-specific target.
But rigging a wire to activate a detonator when the car moves is definitely targeting the car and its driver.
The law presumes that a perpetrator intends the ordinary and forseeable consequences of his act. It is ordinary and forseeable that the next person to move that car would be its owner or a member of her family.
I wonder if some criminal has it in for that family for some reason. I also wonder if perhaps they were random victims of Islamist "students" who are practicing their bomb-making art.
Hint to police: check out all ex-boyfriends and wanna-be boyfriends.
Please send me a FReepmail to get on or off this Canada ping list.
Obviously the case will go deeper. What does she do for a
living? Is she involved in some legal cases? etc...
It may - but odds are the victim knows the attacker. Odds are it's a guy who has been involved with her or wanted to be.
When an *innocent* victim is targeted that is terrorism. Or this could be a test by someone to check on their design to see what the effectiveness is. Perhaps this car was *tested* because of its location or availability. Or perhaps it was meant as a warning for someone else who lives in the vicinity. Or ..... and the list goes on and on.
"Although the car suffered little external damage, the explosion was so intense it rocked the nearest apartment building at 716 Burns Ave. S.E., causing neighbours to run out and investigate."
Thanks for the ping fanfan.
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