Bomb parts smuggled into 10 federal buildings during test

CNN ^ | 07/08/09 | Mike M. Ahlers

[DFG]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Plainclothes investigators sent to test security at federal buildings in four U.S. cities were successful in smuggling bomb components through guard posts at all 10 of the sites they visited, according to a government report.

The investigators then assembled the bombs in restrooms and freely entered numerous government offices while carrying the devices in briefcases, the report said.

The buildings contained offices of several federal lawmakers as well as agencies within the departments of State, Justice and Homeland Security, which is responsible for safeguarding federal office buildings.

[DFG]

Warm and fuzzy story of the day.

[cranked]

Janet Napolitano = Fail.

[rightly_dividing]

I'm sure the terrorist will appreciate that bit of news

[GraceG]

You can’t stop someone who is a fanatic, you can take steps to minimize the risk, but you cannot truly hope to stop people committed to doing evil acts 100% of the time.

It is a dangerous, scary, brutal world out there and to want to live in a Disneyland fantasy is nothing more than pure fantasy.

[ASOC]

LOL

Plastic explosive or Play Dough?
How many of you have actually held C-4, Semtex or some other colloidal explosives?
The FedGov rent-a-cops likely didn’t get that training.

Batteries in a flashlight

caps in in a ballpoint pen...

And on and on.

Hopefully this will result in additional training. Likely not.

[Anti-Kenyan]

My care-o-meter is pegged at zero about the government buildings having poor security.

[stuartcr]

I wonder how many of the smugglers had relatively distinct ME features?

[The Sons of Liberty]

I wonder how many of the smugglers had relatively distinct ME features?

Napolitano probably has them looking for veterans and scandinavians. It wouldn't be politically correct to look for ME muzzies.

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

"The (improvised explosive device) was made up of two parts -- a liquid explosive and a low-yield detonator -- and included a variety of materials not typically brought into a federal facility by an employee or the public," the report says. Investigators obtained the components at local stores and over the Internet for less than $150, the report says.

I find that very hard to believe. Where did they do their shipping, "Bombs R Us"? Granted they could have purchased acetone and hydrogen peroxide as both chemicals are still available to the public. They could then produce triacetone triperoxide, which is sometimes used by terrorist bombers. It is very unstable and has been called "Mother of Satan" by some because of the hazards a budding chemist is exposed to when attempting the synthesis. It starts as two liquids and forms a crystalline solid which requires no detonator as such. The real trick is to keep it from blowing up before you want it to! Fracturing one crystal will suffice to detonate the whole mass. It is highly susceptible to heat, friction, shock, and sparks.

Other liquid explosives require more specialized (and therefore highly regulated) chemicals like anhydrous hydrazine, nitromethane, fuming nitric and sulfuric acids, and 30% ammonium nitrate. These sort of chemicals are not typically available at WalMart and while not impossible to find you will create a very conspicuous paper trail when purchasing such.

That being said, I do believe the report as to the laxity of the contract "security people" (rent-a-cops and retired knob-rattlers). They are right up there with the Federalized "Airport Screening" personnel. Eight years without a serious attack and they have become fat and sassy not to mention lazy. They are "government employees" and they only know how to show up and collect their check.

Regards,
GtG

[hoosierham]

So you want to ban every product that someone could misuse?

The list is infinite.

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

So you want to ban every product that someone could misuse?

I really don't see how you could read my post and think that I advocated banning anything. I merely pointed out that it was rather unlikely for anyone to expect to walk into a "big box" store with $150 and walk out with the ingredients for a liquid high explosive and a detonator. That's about as likely as attending a gun show and finding fully automatic weapons on sale next to the hand grenades.

I also pointed out that the most likely recipe for a "hardware store" bomb was also the most likely to eliminate the would be bomber rather then the intended target.

The CNN hyperbole asserted that the investigator carried a live bomb into the occupied Federal buildings. That most assuredly did not happen for any number of reasons.

The list is infinite.

You have a strange idea of infinity. Actually the list of materials used to manufacture explosives is rather short and consists largely of industrial "raw materials" that are currently under much tighter regulation then ten years ago. Purchases of small quantities of these materials is not illegal but it does generate a paper trail. That could bring unwelcome scrutiny from BATFE if the right combination of ingredients were to pop up as purchased under your name and you cannot show legitimate use of the materials in question.

The situation is much like the "war on drugs", specifically methamphetamine. Today nearly every precursor chemical used in the synthesis of crystal meth is on a watch list by the DEA. It has gotten to the point that you can only buy some over the counter cold remedies one box at a time from a locked case at the pharmacy even though the drugs themselves are not prescription. It's the same scrutiny but a different agency for explosives.

Regards,
GtG

PS I grew up in a time when ten year old kids could walk into a drugstore and by the chemicals to make all sorts of interesting things. One of my friends (Lefty) was missing parts of three fingers. I really miss those days!

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

“My care-o-meter is pegged at zero about the government buildings having poor security.”

Mine too. Why is Fed security of so much more import than Joe Six Pack’s?

[hoosierham]

The list of items that could be mis-used to injure others is admittedly finite but large:I was not restricting it to bomb-making.After all ,nail clippers don’t blow up,but our government spent millions confiscating them.

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

The list of items that could be mis-used to injure others is admittedly finite but large:I was not restricting it to bomb-making.After all ,nail clippers don’t blow up,but our government spent millions confiscating them.

As the Header on the thread stated: "Bomb parts smuggled into 10 federal buildings during test", I made the assumption that the discussion related to "bomb parts" not fingernail clippers. Ah well, silly me...

I will admit that I agree with you as to the futility of the Federal Governments attempts to keep us safe from cradle to grave by restricting and eliminating our personal freedoms. All that unwelcome attention forces a person to stay appraised of what is and what is not now illegal in the land of the free and the home of the brave lest we fall afoul of some obscure regulation and wind up in "durance vile". Gives new meaning to the phrase "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance", no?

Regards,
GtG