Posted on 12/26/2009 10:20:58 AM PST by kristinn
The suspect in the attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253 used a highly explosive substance called PETN, a law enforcement official told CBS News Saturday.
The explosives were carried in a soft plastic container - possibly a condom - though much of the packaging was destroyed in the fire, the official said.
The FBI is questioning the suspect, identified as 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who claimed to be acting on orders from al Qaeda to blow up the airliner, officials said.
A high-ranking law enforcement official told CBS News that the suspect apparently used a syringe to inject a chemical into the powder, which was located near his groin. It is a technique not seen in previous attempted attacks and it's possible that this incident was a test of whether the materials could pass screening and how effective they might be at causing damage, the source said.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
One crappy idea, I’d say - that smells to high heaven!
ROTF!
PETN is HE. He got HE on a plane no problem.
I have no clue if that is legit or not - happened across it while surfing a regular site of mine. Wanted to put it on the board for comments, though.
Thread here
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415516/posts
This article claims it "is subject to biodegradation in untreated or unpreserved urine and feces." Is there any useful truth to that so that? Would future PETN bombers justify hmm... relieving the passenger problems they caused with locking the toilets an hour before landing? (PBUH) Not that such restrictions would stop the bomber, he'd just go earlier, ready all his smuggled gear and return to his seat.
I'm not sure how useful it is but I'm really glad I wasn't part of the research team who figured this little tidbit of information out.
You are correct. His staement was made earlier.
LLS
Fun stuff, thanks for the link.
Completely agree.
LLS
A true Conservative by his or her nature would be compelled to do this... and I agree.
LLS
If he was carrying a syringe with concentrated nitric acid along or with sulfuric acid and squirting it into a small partially hidden container there he’s risking more than just thermal burns. Those strong acids can quickly eat flesh. If PET+acid = PETN is the chemistry in action than I’d think dilution and raising the pH with urine would stop things, unless perhaps the process was so far along that the heat generated by the acid base neutralization reaction were enough to set of any finished product.
I would hate to have to sit next to a fatty with a case of Montezumas Revenge..UGHHH!
With the proper semi-demented attitude such research might be fun. I could see the MythBusters tackling it. They have connections to folks with sufficient HE expertise and have previously displayed enough common sense to NOT show too much of the methodology. I think they could do it with being a security risk, although any such final decision better be well above my rank. Adam and Jamie could take along some beers for raw material and check out the results with or without the (mechanical) timely addition of properly processed beer.
With the proper semi-demented attitude such research might be fun. I could see the MythBusters tackling it. They have connections to folks with sufficient HE expertise and have previously displayed enough common sense to NOT show too much of the methodology. I think they could do it with being a security risk, although any such final decision better be well above my rank. Adam and Jamie could take along some beers for raw material and check out the results with or without the (mechanical) timely addition of properly processed beer.
ok!
very interesting though
They would drug up the assassin, have them wake in a garden full of beautiful women, drug them again, and then wake them telling them they just got a small sample of Paradise. You want them fully awake and alert to carry out their mission.
I would not be surprised if this guy was under the influence of a powerful hypnotic drug.
There are Muslim chemists who actually know what they're doing. If they make a batch of Semtex for jihad purposes, they will not add taggants.
Then they'll just make the PETN. It's not that hard. All the organonitrates are detectable though.
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