US warns airports of Al-Qaeda 'nitrocellulose' bombs

Press Trust of India ^ | 10/14/03 | Press Trust of India

[Mark Felton]

The US Homeland Security has warned airports all over the world against suspicious stuffed items among luggage after US intelligence concluded that Al-Qaeda operatives are being trained to conceal 'nitrocellulose' bombs inside them, reports said on Tuesday.

Intelligence officials have confiscated Al-Qaeda manuals and picked up several indications that the network is attempting to create a chemical called nitrocellulose to fashion explosive devices that could be smuggled aboard jetliners, The Washington Post quoted Homeland officials as saying.

"We judge this type of threat to be real and continuing. We have received reports from several credible, independent sources that Al-Qaeda is training to build such bombs", the officials said.

Among other things, confiscated Al-Qaeda training manuals show the sophistication of its preparations, they said.

Explosives experts said that the detonating power of a nitrocellulose bomb depends on numerous factors--but most particularly on how tightly the cotton-like material is packed.

According to a former director of the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators, Gregory G Baur, producing such explosives requires some degree of expertise.

Items such as buttons, zippers or wristwatches could be used in tandem with tightly packed nitrocellulose as power sources or ignition components to set off a detonation, the directive said.

[Mark Felton]

"All liberty flows from the barrel of a gun"

[Flint]

This is just a form of TNT, it is commonly called "gun cotton". It has been around for about 100 years. It was the primary source of explosives for artillery rounds for a very long time. There is nothing new about it. If they could come across a stash of WW II artillery shells they could take it out of them and use it. They don't need to invent the wheel again. Just use what is out there. It has a distinctive smell and a bomb sniffing dog could pick it up from 100 yards away.

[BallandPowder]

Powder..Patch..Ball FIRE!

Intelligence officials have confiscated Al-Qaeda manuals and picked up several indications that the network is attempting to create a chemical called nitrocellulose to fashion explosive devices that could be smuggled aboard jetliners, The Washington Post quoted Homeland officials as saying.

<>Intelligence officials<> my *ss. Guncotton is one of the easiest explosives to make and use...

[Doctor Stochastic]

It's not TNT, which would be nitrated toluene. It is nitrated cellulose (or nitrated cotton or gun cotton as you mention.) You are correct that dogs would pick it up easily.

One can stabilize gun cotton with a liquid such as nitrated glycrine (nitro glycerine) and use gun cotton to stabilize the nitro glycerine. Theses are old technologies in the explosives field.

[BJungNan]

Notice that Homeland Security did not deny rumors that the cellulose would be smuggled into the country inside a certain female Senator from the State of New York.

That is cellulite and it is explosive only in certain reward parts of the body.

[Mr.Atos]

Isn't this just another indication that anything evil that can be conceived, can and will be perpetrated by those that are willing to surrender their humanity for a twisted ideology. Some years back a Swiss man went on a rampage with his HK AR walking down the street and into his neighbors homes systematically exterminating them. Is this the next thing on the list? If anyone has read Cooper's, Last of the Mohican's and can recall the beginning of the massacre at Fort William Henry, one might begin to understand the mentality of the enemy we are dealing with... if you don't already. Cooper used a degree of literary license to depict Indians as animalistic savages. Cooper was not, however, describing a specific enemy, but used the event, rather, to illustrate how a malevolent hatred can rot the mind and turn humans into sub-animalistic destructive monsters.

Monster do indeed exist. They are among us now, in many forms. WE created them, when we surrendered discrimination to tolerance without judgment.

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[LibKill]

Many common household chemicals can be used to make explosives. All this is nothing new.

It is a reminder that we cannot negotiate with evil.

[Lael]

It has been around for about 100 years

A LOT more than 100 years. Nitrocellulosewas first employed as artificial Billiard balls in place of Ivory in the 1870's.

Further treating with more nitrate yielded Photographic film.

But tri-nitrating cotton gives "Gun Cotton", a starting point for Cordite, or "Smokeless Gunpowder".

[Some hope remaining.]

Did someone say nitro-cellulite bombs?

[happygrl]

Methinks seamole was referring to a certain feminine hygeine product, with which Old Crusty mitigates her "crustiness".

Apologies for the visual image my reply precipitates.

[FRMAG]

Old movie film was high in content. As a result the film stock was highly flammable bordering on explosive. We still have the hangover in movie film handling procedures and the elaborate precautions taken in projection rooms to prevent the spread of fire.

[CatoRenasci]

Ah, "guncotton". Back in the very politically incorrect mid-1960s, one of the experiments in my freshman chemistry class at VMI was making guncotton. I have long since forgotton the exact formula, but it was really astounding how easy it was (as long as one was careful with the acids). Apparently, guncotton was historically the staple of cadet "bombs" which were hurled into the courtyard on random nights, and, I'll attest, it was easier to make guncotton in the Chem labs than it was to obtain the preferred substitute M-80s.

It would be easy enough to stuff a teddybear with guncotton and have some poor unsuspecting kid carry it on board, I suspect.

[Atlas Sneezed]

This sounds like nothing much more than gunpowder pipe bombs.

Be wary of this leading to restrictions on gunpowder and ammunition purchases.

[SpinyNorman]

"Did someone say nitro-cellulite bombs?"

Now THAT would be a big explosion!! Hate to think what would happen if she were eating refried beans.......

[Gringo1]

She would be riding the gun-cotton pony then...yes?

[archy]

Cooper used a degree of literary license to depict Indians as animalistic savages. Cooper was not, however, describing a specific enemy, but used the event, rather, to illustrate how a malevolent hatred can rot the mind and turn humans into sub-animalistic destructive monsters.

Do not ascribe the actions of all of our muslum enemies to hatred as a motivation. There are many who sincerely pity us as doomed infidels, but very realisticly realize that it's either them or us, and are doing their very best to get in both the first and best blows possible.

And there are also many of those whose feelings toward us are more neutral, as you might be to a cockroach before stepping on it. And yet out of a motivation to do that which they perceive as their duty, they will do so unto their deaths.

If you are not aware of the muslum terrorist shootings on the railway near the Australian mining settlement of Broken Hill on New Year's Day of 1915, you would be well advised to do some homework.

-archy-/-

[Mr.Atos]

With all do respect, Archy, what does anything that you have said have ANYTHING to do with my point concerning the proliferation of sadistic brutality in the name of a cause? ... any cause. I made no specific mention regarding current enemies, because I fully expect that the complexion and religion of our enemies will become diluted as this current struggle between ideologies unfolds. The specific reference to the savagery of the Hurons was in metaphor only, and used to lend imagery to acts of savagery. My point being, this is going to get worse.

Do not ascribe the actions of all of our muslum enemies to hatred as a motivation. ??? Are you serious? In order to initiate a savage act of brutality against another Man, one must surrender their Humanity to irrational hatred for self and others. You may not think so. I get that.

You would be wrong.

There is no neutrality between life and death nor good and evil, just as there is no compromise between food and poison. If someone disregards my existence as insignificant as that of a cockroach, it makes no difference in my life. If you try to act on that notion, the force that you initiate will surely be slammed upon you like a mass of conceptual concrete, driven by the conviction of my right to exist and the fury of my desire to do so. If we cannot agree ideologically, then we may have to fight until one of us remains. Do get this, however. Of the two ideologies involved in the current struggle only one adopts the notion to "live and let live."

And please do pardon the research slip. I should have run a search for the most obscure incidents in the most backward places at the turn of the previous century when attempting to make a point about what is happen that effects me and my family in America right now.