An operation by MI5 has uncovered evidence that Al Qaeda is now planning to surgically implant bombs inside suicide bombers in order to combat the extended use of airport body scanners.
The bombs would be placed inside the male buttock or like an enhancing implant, inside the breast of a female. A half pound of this explosive, Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate (PETN), can be shaped to go through five inches of armour so would make short work of an aeroplane fuselage.
The bomb would be detonated by the suicide bomber themself injecting the detonating chemical, Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), into the implant using a syringe.
This takes terrorism onto a whole new level. In the past the bomber has either carried or strapped the bomb to themself or used a vehicle (aeroplane or car). It will prove to be a huge headache for the security services. It will also inconvenience those with diabetes who inject themselves as well as those who have recently undergone surgery.
These new tactics I would think, are more likely to be used against targets where scanners are routinely used. A more ‘traditional’ approach may well be used on buses for example.
There is now a case for allowing no hand luggage at all, full body searches and scans as well as proving the need for syringes etc. But this will be extremely intrusive as well as time consuming. We do live in a dangerous world, but we always have. As the security people come up with a move to lower the overall risk, the terrorists come up with something new to keep the risk level up. But overall the risk to us may be about the same as it was. It may actually be lower. But why should we hamstring ourselves by not using all the tools in the box. We need to get off of the PC bandwagon and start overt profiling to help indentify possible terrorists.
What should worry us now is that some evilly twisted mind in Al Qaeda will already thought of using children or even babies to deliver these devices. The adult with them will have the syringe or other detonating device …..
Bummer…
How about PETN-laden tampons? Much simpler than breast implants, don't you think?
yeah, let's just start racial profiling. i'm sure that will be a success, what with the 2 billion muslims in the world.
grow a brain?
Hi okwhitey, I did grow one, did you? Profiling isn't something you restrict to one race or religious group. It is a tool that can be used to limit the risks from many groups simoultaneously. You know, like white supremacists for example if they pose a threat.
Hi!
Profiling does NOT work!
Israel, which is the most security conscious nation in the world, does not profile.
Why does it not work? Because the terrorists can find out what the profile is, and find someone to do their work that does not fit the profile. For example, the Israelis stopped a White, US, pregnant female from boarding an El-Al plane with a bomb. They did not profile, and they stopped a tragedy.
What works:
If you have the money and time, you can inspect everyone thoroughly. If you don't, then you randomly inspect as many people as you have the resources for. Terrorists can not get around a random inspection, as they have no idea who will be inspected in detail.
I suggest we learn from the Israelis and put their system in place at our airports.