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The explosive device used by the would-be Detroit bomber contained a widely available - and easily detected - chemical explosive that has a long history of terrorist use, according to government officials and explosive experts. SNIP PETN was widely used in the plastic explosives terrorists used to blow up airplanes in the 1970s and 1980s. Investigators say Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab hid an explosive device on his body when he traveled from Amsterdam to Detroit. They say PETN was hidden in a condom or condom-like bag just below his torso. Abdulmutallab also had a syringe filled with liquid. One law enforcement...

PETN explosive used in terrorist attack Northwest Flight 253: Carried on in condom Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who claimed to be acting on orders from al-Qaida to blow up a NWA plane, apparently carried on PETN explosive onto Northwest flight 253. 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. The explosives were carried in a soft plastic container which may have been a condom, although fire destroyed much of the package. What is PETN? According to information on both Wikipedia and...

SNIPPET: "Discussion: I first observed discussion of binary explosives on the al-Firdaws forum in January of 2007. In light of recent events I will post here my archive:" SNIPPET: "Implementation: On Christmas Day, 2009, Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab boards a flight in Amsterdam, bound for Detroit, and on final descent he attempts to set off what was most likely a binary explosive. Thank goodness he either screwed up or had bad instructions, because the chemicals he was working with were evidently quite good."

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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...

The news last month that police had arrested Sajid Badat at his home in Gloucester, England, shook many Britons. The charges against him concerned his training with al-Qaida in Afghanistan and his possessing PETN explosives, the same substance would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid had tried to set off. Police believe Badat intended to carry off the very first suicide bombing in the United Kingdom. But not everyone was shaken by this news. Gloucester's Muslim community esteemed Badat too much to credit the charges. One admirer called him "a walking angel" and "the bright star of our mosque." Another described him...

ANKARA - The Turkish capital has had another bomb scare, only days after a massive car bomb was found in the centre of the city. Haberin devamı Late Thursday, security authorities announced they had intercepted a van carrying up to 500 kilograms of explosives on the road to Ankara. The van, which was registered in Germany, had crossed into Turkey via the Kapikule border gate with Bulgaria. Bulgarian customs officials had tipped off Turkish security that the van appeared to be suspicious, and it was later stopped before it reached its destination. Reports say that four persons, including two Turkish...

LONGMONT, Colo. -- A homeowner was arrested early Sunday morning after more than 200 chemical compounds and liquids were found in his home, several of which could have caused significant damage if detonated, Longmont police officials said. Ronald Swerlein, 50, was arrested around 4 a.m. near his home as he tried to get back into his residence. Police said they found Swerlein returning to the crime scene with a screwdriver and a flashlight. During execution of a search warrant, police said they found many blasting agents and highly flammable fuels and oxidizers in the home that presented significant hazard concerns....

Excerpt - An FBI video has revealed in chilling detail how a British terrorist planned to blow a passenger jet out of the sky. The footage — obtained by the News of the World from security sources — show the shoe-bomb blast tearing a hole through the metal fuselage as if it were tin foil. It proves that if the attack by Brit Richard Reid on American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami in 2001 had succeeded, all 197 on board would have died. ~ snip ~ Link to article and video...

Breaking..suspicious device at port of miami..

Just when did the IAEA last verify the presence of the stockpiles of RDX, HMX, and PETN? From the CNN Website: http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/28/iraq.explosives/index.html According to the Pentagon, IAEA inspectors last visited the complex on March 15, 2003, and they left the country two days later. On March 19, the invasion began. When a U.S. military team arrived to inspect the site on May 8, they did not find the explosives. U.S. troops who came through Al-Qaqaa in April also did not see the material, although Pentagon officials concede they were not asked to make a thorough search of the complex. Pentagon...

A New Tactic? Dec. 5— Authorities in the United Kingdom are examining a pair of blue socks, which they believe contain key components of an improved explosive device that could be used in future terrorist airline hijackings, intelligence sources told ABCNEWS. Intelligence officials believe the socks were designed to be filled with explosives and tethered and worn around a potential bomber's neck, a source told ABCNEWS. With the explosives concealed in this fashion, a bomber could gain access to an aircraft and assemble the improvised device once on board. The socks were seized during the Nov. 20 arrest of Sajid...