Posted on 11/24/2010 4:04:59 AM PST by Erik Latranyi
New airport security procedures that have stirred the emotions of air travelers — full-body scans and aggressive pat-downs — were largely designed to detect an exotic explosive powder called PETN, which has been a staple of al-Qaida bomb makers for nearly a decade.
It was PETN that was molded into the sole of Richard Reid's sneaker when he walked onto American Airlines Flight 63 bound for Miami in December 2001.
It was PETN that was sewn into the underwear of Umar Abdulmutallab when he boarded Northwest Airlines Flight 253 for Detroit on Christmas Day 2009.
And it was PETN that al-Qaida operatives in Yemen packed inside printer cartridges that were shipped on Oct. 28, intending to blow up planes en route to Chicago.
None of the plots succeeded in taking down an aircraft, but top U.S. officials are concerned about fresh indications that al-Qaida remains determined to get PETN on airplanes by trying to exploit vulnerabilities in passenger and cargo screening.
Not only has al-Qaida acknowledged its role in previous bomb plots, it is also sharing what it knows about building bombs on the Web and elsewhere.
PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate, presents some vexing challenges to security experts. A powder about the consistency of fine popcorn salt, it will not trigger an alarm on a metal detector. Because of its more stable molecules, PETN gives off less vapor, making it more difficult to detect by bomb-sniffing dogs and the trace swabs used by the TSA.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
Transportation Security Administration head John Pistole isn't just worried about terrorists in Yemen. He said he is particularly concerned that homegrown terrorists might "get a hold of a PETN device."
This administration continues to see the citizens of this nation as a greater threat than self-identified islamic terrorists.
Obama speaks out if our military dares to humiliate terrorists captured on the battlefield and held in Guantanemo, but Obama supports TSA agents conducting public, near body-cavity searches on ordinary citizens.
PETN is not all that unusual or esoteric. It’s in detonation cord and has been around for long time. I’m not trivializing the threat, but I think this type of story doesn’t put things in their proper perspective. PETN is just as dangerous as C-4. But neither is a new explosive or an unusual one.
There is no technology for this.
Only the Israeli method of behavior profiling ALL passengers would have a chance at finding something like this and will be the end result after terrorists circumvent our current, ineffective security screening methods.
Why shove it up a rectum when they can just strap it around the waist of one of their burka-wearing women and waltz on-board without being searched or detained?
If a plane went down from an explosion, does anyone believe it could be traced to explosives hidden in a body cavity? They won’t even admit it was caused by a bomb. A more likely event will be an intentional “discovery” of a “bomb” in such a location to disrupt airline travel through more intensive searches.
LLS
I like your style. Happy Thanksgiving.
THIS is the ONLY thing these miscreants are going to understand.
Well there you go. Jihadists can now carry popcorn salted with PETN.
Or grow fingernails long and have PETN clay under the fingernails and toenails (like scraping your fingernails along a soapbar, the soap accumulates under the nail). Should be able to accumulate a few grams of material that can be amassed once on board. Nice shiney fingernails with beautiful artwork above and deadly PETN below.
LLS
PETN absolutely MUST be set off with a fairly powerful blasting cap or other primary explosive. PETN is a secondary explosive. It cannot be ignited by open flame, at least beyond just burning up. A primary explosive chain pretty much has to be encased in a metal container in order to build up sufficient pressure to serve as a blasting cap. The blasting cap CAN be detected using a metal detector.
Or giving a pregnant woman an abortion, and then re-filling her womb with PETN (or whatever).
Why metal and not ceramic or carbon fiber?
That might work.
PROFILE! PROFILE!
There will always be a way to work mischief. Find the perps, not the tools.
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