Semtex in the Hand Is Worth Two Dirty Bombs in the Bush the Historical Relation Between Explosive Technology and Terrorism
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
The Development of a Semtex-H Simulant for Terahertz Spectroscopy
J Infrared Milli Terahz Waves DOI 10.1007/s10762-016-0336-z The Development of a Semtex-H Simulant for Terahertz Spectroscopy N. Greenall1 & A. Valavanis1 & H. J. Desai2 & D. O. Acheampong2 & L. H. Li1 & J. E. Cunningham1 & A. G. Davies1 & E. H. Linfield1 & A. D. Burnett1,3 Received: 14 September 2016 /Accepted: 11 November 2016 # The Author(s) 2016. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract The development and use of terahertz (THz) frequency spectroscopy systems for security screening has shown an increased growth over the past 15 years. In order to test these systems in real-world situations, safe simulants of illicit materials, such as Semtex-H, are required. Ideally, simulants should mimic key features of the material of interest, such that they at least resemble or even appear indistinguishable from the materials of interest to the interrogating technique(s), whilst not having hazardous or illicit properties. An ideal simulant should have similar physical properties (malleability, density, surface energy and volatility to the material of interest); be non-toxic and easy to clean and decontaminate from surfaces; be recyclable or disposable; and be useable in a public environment. Here, we present a method for developing such an explosive simulant (for Semtex-H) based on a database of THz spectra of common organic molecules, and the use of a genetic algorithm to select a mixture of compounds automatically to form such a simulant. Whilst we focus on a security application, this work could be applied to various other contexts, where the material of interest is dangerous, impractical or costly. -
Predicting Explosion and Blast Effects: a Multi-Scale Experimental Approach
S. Trélat & M.-O. Sturtzer, Int. J. of Safety and Security Eng., Vol. 9, No. 4 (2019) 356–370 PREDICTING EXPLOSION AND BLAST EFFECTS: A MULTI-SCALE EXPERIMentaL APPRoaCH SOPHIE TRÉLAT1 & MICHEL-OLIVIER STURTZER2 1 IRSN, Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, France. 2 ISL, French German Research Institute of Saint Louis, France. ABSTRACT Critical infrastructures protection evaluation when exposed to terroristic or accidental blast wave prop- agation represents a core topic of research for the French public institute IRSN and the French-German military research institute ISL. The Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) and the French-German Research Institute of Saint Louis (ISL) actively cooperate on the evaluation of pressure effects generated by blast wave propagating in hemispherical geometry. During the past few years, IRSN developed a significant experience on hemispherical blast effect assessment using 42g reference Hexomax® charges detonated in contact to a planar surface equipped with different types of pressure sensors (piezo-electric and piezo-resistive). Based on this experience, ISL developed an outdoor blast-pad located at its own explosive range: 400g TNT equivalent charges are detonated in a factor 2 up-scaled version of IRSN test configuration. Similar sensors are flush-mounted inside a metal- lic rail integrated below the concrete pad surface. The objective of this joint work is to improve the knowledge on scaling laws for small plastic explosive charges (Semtex, C4 and Hexomax®) and their corresponding TNT equivalencies. To achieve this goal, TNT charges were produced at ISL in order to provide a direct, realistic and reproducible reference at the corresponding scale. -
Tutt, the Proper Use and Handling of Explosives
THE PROPER USE AND HANDLING OF EXPLOSIVES BY IAN TUTT INSPECTOR OF EXPLOSIVES EXPLOSIVES INSPECTORATE DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND ENERGY The Proper Use and Handling of Explosives 1. Introductions The power released in a typical production blast is beyond the comprehension of most people. Few people understand the magnitude of the forces released at detonation. In a shot in which all goes well, the muffled sound of the explosives releasing their energy and the gentle rise and fall of the ground which contained the explosives does not give a true indication of the violent forces being released. One 25mmx200mm cartridge of explosives releases about 33 million horsepower of energy in .00004 of a second. The combined horsepower of all the equipment on any mine site pales into insignificance when compared to that of a single small cartridge of explosive. The power of a large production blast I would venture to say is beyond the comprehension of all, including myself. The powers unleashed by explosives are only equalled or bettered by Mother Nature yet with each passing day the respect for the very useful commodity has decreased to a point where many individuals and companies pay scant regard to its hazardous nature. Studies carried out in the USA have determined that 70 out of 1000 blasting accidents are fatal. If one reads these statistics quickly this may not seem as being a high strike rate, that is until you compare these statistics with that of other activities which we consider as high risk occupations. Excluding explosives, the statistics for other mining operations in the U.S.A is a fatality for 7 out of every 1000 accidents. -
Explosive Weapon Effectsweapon Overview Effects
CHARACTERISATION OF EXPLOSIVE WEAPONS EXPLOSIVEEXPLOSIVE WEAPON EFFECTSWEAPON OVERVIEW EFFECTS FINAL REPORT ABOUT THE GICHD AND THE PROJECT The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) is an expert organisation working to reduce the impact of mines, cluster munitions and other explosive hazards, in close partnership with states, the UN and other human security actors. Based at the Maison de la paix in Geneva, the GICHD employs around 55 staff from over 15 countries with unique expertise and knowledge. Our work is made possible by core contributions, project funding and in-kind support from more than 20 governments and organisations. Motivated by its strategic goal to improve human security and equipped with subject expertise in explosive hazards, the GICHD launched a research project to characterise explosive weapons. The GICHD perceives the debate on explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) as an important humanitarian issue. The aim of this research into explosive weapons characteristics and their immediate, destructive effects on humans and structures, is to help inform the ongoing discussions on EWIPA, intended to reduce harm to civilians. The intention of the research is not to discuss the moral, political or legal implications of using explosive weapon systems in populated areas, but to examine their characteristics, effects and use from a technical perspective. The research project started in January 2015 and was guided and advised by a group of 18 international experts dealing with weapons-related research and practitioners who address the implications of explosive weapons in the humanitarian, policy, advocacy and legal fields. This report and its annexes integrate the research efforts of the characterisation of explosive weapons (CEW) project in 2015-2016 and make reference to key information sources in this domain. -
The Bombing at Sterling Hall: a Three-Act Drama by David J
©2009 COPYRIGHT FOR THIS WORK IS HELD BY DAVID J. MARCOU AND MATTHEW A. MARCOU CREDIT MUST BE GIVEN TO DAVID J. MARCOU AS AUTHOR Bloody Math: A Drama in Three Acts, by David J. Marcou. Copyright 2004 for Original Draft, and Copyright 2009 for Revision, by David J. Marcou and Matthew A. Marcou. Author’s Note: This play is an historical drama in the sense that Shakespeare‟s chronicle plays were – they deal with some real, some imagined or slightly altered historical figures and events -- and very little of the historical dialogue was spoken in just the way it is re-presented here. The method is a combination of the descriptive and the telegraphic, and not all the stage directions and character descriptions are precisely detailed, because each production will need some latitude to achieve this drama‟s goals. But the key thing Bloody Math shares with the bard‟s chronicle plays is, it‟s hoped, the truthfulness of its ideas, language, characters, and action. Historical events can contain a great deal of drama in and around them – as the bombing at the University of Wisconsin‟s Sterling Hall did in August 1970. And yet, it takes a good writer to re-present relevant figures, events, dialogue, etc., so they will honestly enlighten future generations about the contexts, impacts, and relevancies to what went before them, and what came after. It is my fondest hope as the writer of this historical drama that viewers will learn from the mistakes of many people in 1970 Madison, including the large human mistakes of the New Year‟s Gang and the related mistakes of the authorities, and live better lives, as a result. -
11 July 2006 Mumbai Train Bombings
11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings July 2006 Mumbai train bombings One of the bomb-damaged coaches Location Mumbai, India Target(s) Mumbai Suburban Railway Date 11 July 2006 18:24 – 18:35 (UTC+5.5) Attack Type Bombings Fatalities 209 Injuries 714 Perpetrator(s) Terrorist outfits—Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT; These are alleged perperators as legal proceedings have not yet taken place.) Map showing the 'Western line' and blast locations. The 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings were a series of seven bomb blasts that took place over a period of 11 minutes on the Suburban Railway in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and India's financial capital. 209 people lost their lives and over 700 were injured in the attacks. Details The bombs were placed on trains plying on the western line of the suburban ("local") train network, which forms the backbone of the city's transport network. The first blast reportedly took place at 18:24 IST (12:54 UTC), and the explosions continued for approximately eleven minutes, until 18:35, during the after-work rush hour. All the bombs had been placed in the first-class "general" compartments (some compartments are reserved for women, called "ladies" compartments) of several trains running from Churchgate, the city-centre end of the western railway line, to the western suburbs of the city. They exploded at or in the near vicinity of the suburban railway stations of Matunga Road, Mahim, Bandra, Khar Road, Jogeshwari, Bhayandar and Borivali. -
Sterling Hall Bombing Podcast Script: Draft Announcer/Troy: UW
Sterling Hall Bombing Podcast Script: Draft Announcer/Troy: UW—Madison’s Campus Voices’ mission is to capture, present, and preserve some of the strongest historical stories and memories of UW—Madison, through the people who lived them. Campus Voices, a project of the UW—Madison Archives & Records Management Services, consists of presenting extant archival material in 21st century publishable formats, such as a podcast, mini-movie, and iTunes album. Intro: This is the second podcast in the UW—Madison Campus Voices series; I’m Troy Reeves, head of the oral history program at the UW—Madison Archives and Records Management Services and today’s host. This podcast was created to mark the 40th anniversary of the Sterling Hall bombing, which took place at 3:42am on August 24th, 1970. The bombing has become one of the more infamous events that took place on U.S. soil during our country’s involvement in Vietnam and stood as the largest act of domestic terrorism until 1995 and the bombing in Oklahoma City. Last month, we—along with the Wisconsin Story Project—co-sponsored the Project’s Story Booth inside UW—Madison’s Memorial Library. The booth has a video camera to capture stories and memories of people on a variety of subjects; for our purposes we used it to get folks to talk about the Sterling Hall Bombing. While that material will not be available for public consumption for awhile, I can say something about it. As a non-Madisonian I have learned about Sterling Hall from the published material. While those books and documentaries tell the capital S Story well, it was great to hear all the little s stories left by the people who stepped into the booth. -
Variables Associated with the Classification of Ammonium Nitrate – a Literature Review
Variables Associated with the Classification of Ammonium Nitrate – A Literature Review FINAL REPORT BY: Sean Gillis Sreenivasan Ranganathan Fire Protection Research Foundation, Quincy, MA March 2017 © 2017 Fire Protection Research Foundation 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02169-7417, USA Email: [email protected] | Web: nfpa.org/foundation —— Page ii —— FOREWORD Ammonium Nitrate (AN) “is a chemical compound produced in both solid and liquid forms that is commonly used in fertilizers”. The burning rate of technical-grade AN prill falls within the Class 2 oxidizer criteria in Annex G of NFPA 400, 2016. The loss history of AN also indicates potential for unstable reactive hazard properties, uncontrolled decomposition and/or detonation under circumstances that are not fully understood. In the most recent revision of NFPA 400, Hazardous Materials Code, the Technical Committee (TC) classified Ammonium Nitrate as a Class 2 Oxidizer. However recent hazardous material incidents involving AN have resulted in differing views regarding the reactivity of the compound and whether or not it should be considered an unstable reactive in NFPA 400. The different behaviors of AN in different fire situations make it difficult to determine the appropriate safe practices for AN storage and handling. There are also discrepancies between the NFPA and International Fire Code (IFC) classifications of Ammonium Nitrate. As a result there is a need for additional data to assist in the proper classification/treatment of AN. An examination of existing data involving the reactivity of AN will assist the NFPA 400 TC in determining the appropriate classification of Ammonium Nitrate, and perhaps point to a need for future Ammonium Nitrate testing. -
NITROGYLCERIN and ETHYLENE GLYCOL DINITRATE Criteria for a Recommended Standard OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE to NITROGLYCERIN and ETHYLENE GLYCOL DINITRATE
CRITERIA FOR A RECOMMENDED STANDARD OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO NITROGYLCERIN and ETHYLENE GLYCOL DINITRATE criteria for a recommended standard OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO NITROGLYCERIN and ETHYLENE GLYCOL DINITRATE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE Public Health Service Center for Disease Control National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health June 1978 For »ale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 DISCLAIMER Mention of company name or products does not constitute endorsement by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. DHEW (NIOSH) Publication No. 78-167 PREFACE The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 emphasizes the need for standards to protect the health and provide for the safety of workers occupationally exposed to an ever-increasing number of potential hazards. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) evaluates all available research data and criteria and recommends standards for occupational exposure. The Secretary of Labor will weigh these recommendations along with other considerations, such as feasibility and means of implementation, in promulgating regulatory standards. NIOSH will periodically review the recommended standards to ensure continuing protection of workers and will make successive reports as new research and epidemiologic studies are completed and as sampling and analytical methods are developed. The contributions to this document on nitroglycerin (NG) and ethylene glycol dinitrate (EGDN) by NIOSH staff, other Federal agencies or departments, the review consultants, the reviewers selected by the American Industrial Hygiene Association, and by Robert B. O ’Connor, M.D., NIOSH consultant in occupational medicine, are gratefully acknowledged. The views and conclusions expressed in this document, together with the recommendations for a standard, are those of NIOSH. -
Characterisation of 2,4-Dinitroanisole: an Ingredient for Use in Low Sensitivity Melt Cast Formulations
Australian Government Department of Defence Defence Science and Characterisation of 2,4-Dinitroanisole: An Ingredient for use in Low Sensitivity Melt Cast Formulations Phil J. Davies and Arthur Provatas Weapons Systems Division Defence Science and Technology Organisation DSTO-TR-1904 ABSTRACT In recent years TNT has fallen out of favour as an ingredient in melt-castable explosive formulations due to its demonstrated failure to meet sensitivity requirements, and alternatives with suitable chemical and physical properties have been sought. 2,4-Dinitroanisole (DNAN) is a promising alternative that prima facie appears to possess adequate properties and, by virtue of reduced sensitivity, may enable the development of a new class of low sensitivity melt-cast formulations for use in Insensitive Munitions (IM). This paper provides a baseline characterisation of DNAN and includes the determination of the sensitivity and explosive properties of a simple DNAN-based formulation (ARX-4027) analogous to Composition B. Key properties that impact upon the use of DNAN in melt-cast formulations are identified. RELEASE LIMITATION Approved for public release Published by Weapons Systems Division DSTO Defence Science and Technology Organisation PO Box 1500 Edinburgh South Australia 5111 Australia Telephone: (OS) S259 5555 Fax: (OS) S259 6567 © Commonwealth of Australia 2006 AR-013-730 August 2006 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Characterisation of 2,4-Dinitroanisole: An Ingredient for use in Low Sensitivity Melt Cast Formulations Executive Summary Due to perceived toxicity and sensitivity problems associated with some TNT-based melt- cast formulations, TNT has fallen out of favour with western militaries and alternative materials for use in melt-cast formulations have been sought. -
A Day in the Salient with Bernard Comyn by Ian Chambers, August 2007
A Day in the Salient with Bernard Comyn by Ian Chambers, August 2007 Bernard is a friend of Harry Canvin, and knowing that I was spending a few days in the Salient, Harry arranged for Gary and me to spend a day with him. Bernard, (pictured here with my son Gary) is, I would guess, in his early seventies and was born in Zillebeke, where he still lives. He is a walking encyclopaedia on the war in the Salient and once you have spent a little time with him it soon becomes clear that he gets great enjoyment from passing that knowledge on. Our first stop was Hill 60, which is on the outskirts of Zillebeke. This mound, 60 metres high, was of great importance bearing in mind the general low lying nature of most of the area. It was held by the Germans until 7 June 1917 when a series of mines was detonated over the Messines Ridge area to signal the start of what became known as the Battle of Messines. The tunnel to Hill 60 was 1,380 feet long and was officially known as The Berlin Sap, just before it reached Hill 60 the tunnel branched off to run under another German position known as The Caterpillar which was a second "hill" formed from the spoil from the railway cutting. In total 123,500 pounds of ammonal and guncotton was placed under the two hills and when both mines exploded as planned, this allowed British troops to storm and capture them and they remained in British hands until the German advance of 1918. -
2006 Wisconsin High School Mock Trial Tournament Case Materials
2006 Wisconsin High School Mock Trial Tournament Case Materials The 2006 Wisconsin High School Mock Trial case materials are intended for educational purposes only and not for profit. In re the Pardon of Karleton Lewis Armstrong PETITIONER’S WITNESSES RESPONDENT’S WITNESSES Happy Goldberg, Ph.D. Tony/Toni Neidermeyer Kropotkin, Ph.D. D.V. Wormer, Ph.D. Leo/Leona Burt Will/Wille Moss-Appleman, Ph.D. DISCLAIMER This year’s case is based upon actual events in our state’s history, specifically, the tragic events leading up to and following the bombing of Sterling Hall in 1970. The witness statements are based upon the factual record established by the FBI and police investigations, and the actual testimony of witnesses. Each witness represents a combination of different individuals connected with the bombing. Some leeway was given to the witnesses for the sole purpose of making them more usable for mock trial. This case is designed to explore the line between the freedoms we enjoy in the United States and the boundary which separates legitimate political dissent from illegitimate actions. Our freedoms have been secured at a cost. This case is dedicated to all those whose lives were lost to secure those freedoms. 1 The authors of the case materials relied on the following sources: The Last Fugitive; article by Doug Moe On Wisconsin Magazine; Summer 2005 RADS; Tom Bates; 1992, New York: Harper Collins The Bombing of Sterling Hall; VHS; Leemark Communications To order a copy of the tape: Send check or money order for $25.00 to: Leemark Communications P.O.