This is absolutely infuriating!
Snippets: Most significantly, the memorandum contains a great deal of information about Zazi’s knowledge of explosives, and efforts to obtain requisite ingredients. It has already come to light that Zazi possessed nine pages of handwritten notes containing instructions on the manufacture and handling of various kinds of explosives. (Contrary to Zazi’s claim that these notes were accidentally downloaded onto his computer, he had e-mailed them to himself twice while in Pakistan, transferred them to his laptop, and may even have written them.) The memorandum states that the notes contained specifications for Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) -- the same kind of explosive that was used in the 7/7 attacks in London and by attempted shoe bomber Richard Reid, among others.
Much recent media attention has focused on the fact that Zazi may have attempted to buy the components of TATP (hydrogen peroxide, acetone, and a strong acid) at beauty supply stores. The detention memo traces this back to his handwritten bomb-making instructions, in which he noted “that acetone is found in nail polish remover and that hydrogen peroxide can be found in ‘Hair Salon – 20-30%.’” During the summer of 2009, Zazi performed several Internet searches for hydrochloric acid, and bookmarked a web site about “Lab Safety for Hydrochloric Acid.” He also “searched a beauty salon website for hydrocide and peroxide.” Following these web searches, the memorandum explains, Zazi and some associates (note: these alleged coconspirators still remain unnamed) purchased what is described as “unusually large quantities of hydrogen peroxide and acetone products from beauty supply stores in the Denver metropolitan area.” Specifically:
One person purchased a one-gallon container of a product containing 20% hydrogen peroxide, as well as an eight ounce bottle of acetone. A second person purchased an acetone product in approximately the first week of September. A third person purchased 32-ounce bottles of Ion Sensitive Scalp Developer, a product containing high levels of hydrogen peroxide, on approximately three occasions during the summer of 2009. Prior to traveling to New York City, Zazi stayed in a hotel in Aurora, Colorado. The FBI later tested his room for explosives and chemical residue, and found “the presence of acetone residue in the vent above the stove.” The memorandum suggests that this could have been caused by Zazi heating the components in order to make them highly concentrated, something that his bomb-making notes suggested.