Storing Bombs Inside Bodies
Security officials are concerned over a tactic newly employed by al Qaeda. Sheila MacVicar reports suicide bombers are now storing explosives inside their bodies in order to avoid detection.
Rep. Peter King of New York, the senior Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, who was briefed on the incident, said Abdulmutallab was known in federal counterterrorism files and may have been on the government’s list of suspicious passengers banned from flying in the United States.
King said the incident raised troubling questions about airline security. “It must be looked into” how Abdulmutallab was able to sneak a “somewhat sophisticated device” on board, he said.
Abdulmutallab told investigators that he wanted to set off a bomb over the United States, counterterrorism officials said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34592031/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
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NBC: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was trying to ignite a two-part explosive, by injecting a liquid into a white powder.
http://twitter.com/jesserodriguez/statuses/7048200210
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The suspect, identified as a Nigerian national, claimed to have extremist ties and said the explosive device “was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used,” said a federal security bulletin obtained by CNN.
The FBI is investigating, bureau spokeswoman Sandra Berchtold said.
The remains of the device used are being sent to an FBI explosives lab in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis, the sources said.
Rep. Pete King, R-New York and ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, identified the suspect as Abdul Mudallad. CNN has not been able to confirm the name from law enforcement or government officials, and some media outlets have reported the name as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.
President Obama, who is spending the holidays in his home state of Hawaii, was briefed on the incident during a secure phone call with aides, and instructed in a subsequent discussion with security advisers “that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel,” said White House spokesman Bill Burton. The president made no changes to his schedule, Burton said.
http://www.aina.org/news/20091225203147.htm
They tried a suicide body bomb to take out some Saudi. Got into good position. Suicided nicely. Made a BIG mess. Didn’t much hurt the target.
“suicide bombers are now storing explosives inside their bodies in order to avoid detection.”
As awful as it sounds, maybe our default screening devices should be those x-ray booths/machines at airports. It’s extreme, but may be necessary. When I notice one at the airport check-in, I choose that line. With an artificial hip that alerts the metal detectors 100% of the time, doing the x-ray is more convenient. It takes about one minute. The alternative is to be pulled out of line, have them call for a female TSA rep who might show up in five minutes, then the Neanderthal gropes and frisks while my bags are sitting unattended at the end of the conveyor belt. It’s taken as long as 15 minutes at LAX.
I believe the x-ray thingie picks up everything. Anyhow, IMHO...
IOW, beware the guys with dirt under the fingernails of their left hand.