You certainly could, but it would be way overengineered for a suicide vest. You would need no electronics at all unless you are going for something more sophisticated, such as remote triggering or time delay or proximity detection (as in a mine).
On the other hand, an MIT level jihad vest would probably have a circuit board programmed to recognize the words "Allahu akbar!" shouted out by its wearer. That way it could be set off even if the wearer is reaching for the sky as police approach.
And as for the Play Doh, even if it were actually C4, it would be completely harmless the way Star was carrying it (you need a detonator inserted and wired up to get it to go).
“And as for the Play Doh, even if it were actually C4, it would be completely harmless the way Star was carrying it...”
Apparently, not everyone was willing to bet their lives on that.
Maybe they should always take a close look at all clothing-attached circuit boards, to see if the wires might go through the hoodie, down the sleeve, and into the hand carrying that clay-like substance, before we stop the person wearing it.
I’ll bet the Israelis might have a slightly different take on what to do in a situation like that.
And some day, if we run away from another difficult war, the jihadists may manage to make you change your mind, when they bring the war home to us.