EXPLOSION and BLAST INJURIES Motivation of Terrorists

Background EXPLOSION AND BLAST INJURIES Motivation of Terrorists

• Further political or religious objectives

• Further individual agenda

• Perpetrators are often incospicuous

2 Mass Casualty Incident • Most “disasters” produce < 40 victims • Terrorism has changed this picture – World Trade Center bombing (1993) –6 dead and over 1,000 injured – Murrah Federal Building – 168 dead and 759 injuries – Tokyo Sarin Attack –12 dead and 5,500 injured – World Trade Center bombing (2001) – 3,000+ dead

3 Are Bombings Common in the United States?

FBI Bombing Database 1988‐97

• 17,579 bombings • Numbers doubled over the 10 year period • Number of bombing peaked in 1992 • 78% were explosives and 22% were incendiaries FBI Bombing Database 1988‐97

• 427 deaths with a peak in 1995 (Oklahoma city bombing) • 4,063 bomb‐related injuries • Incendiary bombs caused more injuries than explosives Retrospective review of ATF records 1983‐2002 Type of incident Incidents (%) Injuries (%) Deaths (%)

Actual 28,529 (79) 5,931 (100) 699 (100) Explosive 21,237 (59) 4,056 (68) 386 (55.2) Incendiary 6,185 (17) 579 (10) 139 (19.9) Premature 1,107 (3) 1,296 (22) 174 (24.9) Attempted 7,581 (21) 0 (0) 0 (0) Explosive 5,616 (15.6) 0 (0) 0 (0) Incendiary 1,965 (5.4) 0 (0) 0 (0) Total 36,110 (100) 5,931 (100) 699 (100) Motives as Reported in ATF Database

Injuries and Deaths (1988‐1997) Mine Explosions

MMWR Vol. 57 / No. 51 & 52 Special Characteristics of Bombing Victims

• Victims of terrorist bombings (n = 906) were compared with 55,033 casualties of non‐terror related trauma. • Bombing resulted in significantly different: – Injury complexity – Increased severity – More body regions involved – Enhanced use of intensive care – Prolonged hospital stay – More surgical interventions – Increased hospital mortality HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Discovery

• Believed to be discovered in China in the 10th century • Called black powder or gun powder – Charcoal – Potassium nitrate – Sulfur A Mongol bomb thrown against a charging • Used for signals and Japanese samurai during the Mongol fireworks Invasions of Japan, 1281 • Then used in warfare Spread

• Brought to Europe by an English monk named Roger Bacon who published the formula • Developed further by a German Franciscan monk, Berthold Schwarts Nitroglycerin

• Invented by Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero in 1846 • Liquid form • Ignites and explodes spontaneously Dynamite

• Invented by Alfred Nobel • Added silica to liquid nitroglycerine making the more malleable dynamite • Also invented blasting caps that were made with a fuse and gunpowder Ammonium Nitrate/Fuel Oil (ANFO)

• 80% of explosive used in the USA • High explosive – Requires a booster Composition C4

• Greater than 90% RDX • Needs a blasting cap to detonate • 1.34 as strong as TNT Inserting Blasting caps into C4 Improvised Explosive Devices (IED)

• Bomb fabricated in an improvised manner. • May use conventional munitions • May add chemicals, radiological material, nails, bolts etc… Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP)

• Cylindrical shaped charge with a concave metal disc (often copper) in front, pointed outwards. • The force of the shaped charge turns the disc into a bolt of metal, capable of penetrating the armor of vehicles. • Effective at long standoffs from the target (50 meters or more). HISTORICAL INCIDENTS Texas City Disaster 1947

• 7 KiloT of ANFO exploded on board of SS Grandcamp in the port killing 581 people 1995 ‐ Oklahoma City Bombing

• Ryder truck detonated in front of building at 9:02am (CST) • Blast destroyed 1/3 of the building, creating a crater that was 30 ft wide and 8 ft deep • Blast destroyed or damaged 324 buildings within radius of sixteen‐blocks, burned 86 cars, and shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings • 168 confirmed dead • By the end of the day, 153 victims had been treated at St. Anthony Hospital, eight blocks from the blast, over 70 at Presbyterian, 41 at University, and 18 at Children's Birmingham Women Health Center 1998 • Eric Robert Rudolph – 1996 Olympic Centennial Park – Otherside (Gay) nightclub – Women’s health centers – Captured 2003 U.S. Embassy Bombings Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya August 7, 1998 • Car bombs in vehicles, each adjacent to the embassies, were detonated simultaneously at Dar Es Salam 10:45am • Total of 257 people were killed and 7,000 wounded

Nairobi World Trade Center September 11th, 2001 • Both 110‐floor Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed along with 5 others establishments (including 2 subway stations) • 25 surrounding buildings were damaged • 2749 people were killed in WTC and on board both American flight 11 and United flight 175 Iraq 2003‐present

• Bombing tactics have largely been composed of military bombings, suicide bombings, and car bombings • As of late 2003, 40 to 60 percent of all attacks began with an IED. – Some of these attacks included direct fire attacks immediately following the detonation of the device – More and more IEDs were subsequently being used as a stand‐alone means to engage a convoy Madrid Commuter Train System March 11th, 2004 • Using 13 IEDs in backpacks, ten explosions occurred aboard four commuter trains between 7:37 and 7:40am • All trains were traveling on the same line and in the same direction

191 people were killed and 2050 were injured London Underground and Double Decker Bus July 7, 2005

• 3 suicide bombs exploded within 30 seconds of each other on the Underground system • Almost one hour after the Underground explosions, a suicide bomb was detonated on a Double Decker Bus • 52 people were killed and ~ 700 were injured Thank You For Your Attention