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Homemade Explosives UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY This information should be considered UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY. Further distribution of this document is restricted to approved agencies only, unless prior approval from the Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center is obtained. Persons or organizations violating distribution restrictions will be prohibited from receiving future documents and will be removed from distributions lists. NO REPORT OR SEGMENT THEREOF MAY BE RELEASED TO ANY MEDIA SOURCES. THE LINK Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center 302 W. Washington St., Room E-243, Indianapolis, IN 46204 Phone: 866-400-4432; Fax: 317-234-4749; Email: [email protected] INFORMATION BULLETIN April 24, 2015 Homemade Explosives Information cut-off date: April 21, 2015 (U//FOUO) Simulated explosion of the vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) employed in the foiled Times Square Bombing of 2010. Source: (Lubin, 2010). (U//FOUO) Scope (U//FOUO) The Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center (IIFC) has prepared the following information bulletin to inform law enforcement and private sector security personnel concerning the risk originating from the production of homemade explosives using ingredients widely available to the common consumer. This product does not discuss commercially manufactured or prefabricated explosives. Only open sources were used. (U//FOUO) The IIFC collects information on criminal and terrorism related matters without regard to race, religion, national origin, or gender. Reference to individual members of political, ethnic, or religious groups in this product is not meant to imply that all members of the group are terrorists or criminals. Criminals/terrorists represent a small minority in the larger social context. PN: 58763-0424 This information should be considered UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY. Further distribution of this document is restricted to approved agencies only, unless prior approval from the Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center is obtained. Persons or organizations violating distribution restrictions will be prohibited from receiving future documents and will be removed from distribution lists. NO REPORT OR SEGMENT THEREOF MAY BE RELEASED TO ANY MEDIA SOURCES. (U//FOUO) Key Findings (U//FOUO) Individuals hoping to use homemade explosives to harm the United States and our allies remain highly motivated and innovative as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the thwarted Belgian terrorist attacks of 2015 reveal. (U//FOUO) A number of extremely destructive explosive compounds such as triacetone- triperoxide (TATP), hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD), and urea nitrate can be manufactured using products available on the legitimate consumer market. (U//FOUO) Malicious actors have used these three explosive compounds in a number of successful and thwarted attacks, meaning the following examples are not exclusive. TATP was found in a raid on a suspected Belgian safe house of a terror cell in January 2015; HMTD was used as a detonator in the London transit bombings of 7 July 2005; and lastly, urea nitrate was used in the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing. (U//FOUO) Common materials used to manufacture one or more of these explosives include: Hydrogen peroxide (a common hair product, disinfectant, or bleaching agent) Acetone (commonly found in nail polish remover) Nitric acid (a fertilizer ingredient also found in industrial waste) Urea (commonly found in deicer or urine) (U//FOUO) Terrorist training manuals outlining the detailed process of homemade explosives manufacturing are widely available through open sources. (U//FOUO) Local Analysis (U//FOUO) Indiana Code IC-35-47.5-5-2 (b) states that a person who knowingly or intentionally possesses, manufactures, transports, distributes, possesses with intent to distribute, or offers to distribute a destructive device, unless authorized by law, commits a Level 5 felony (Indiana Code, 2014). (U//FOUO) Successful bombings using TATP, HMTD, and urea nitrate were used against critical infrastructure and transportation systems, to devastating effects. (U//FOUO) Analyst Note: The precursor chemicals needed to manufacture the explosives TATP, HMTD, and urea nitrate are widely available throughout the Indiana legitimate consumer market. Grocery stores, big box retailers, drug stores, and chemical suppliers sell the necessary ingredients to manufacture these substances. IIFC MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center is to collect, evaluate, analyze and disseminate information and intelligence data regarding criminal and terrorist activity in the State of Indiana while following Fair Information Practices to ensure the rights and privacy of citizens. UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Page 2 of 13 This information should be considered UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY. Further distribution of this document is restricted to approved agencies only, unless prior approval from the Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center is obtained. Persons or organizations violating distribution restrictions will be prohibited from receiving future documents and will be removed from distribution lists. NO REPORT OR SEGMENT THEREOF MAY BE RELEASED TO ANY MEDIA SOURCES. (U//FOUO) The majority of plants that produce nitric acid, a key ingredient in the manufacture of urea nitrate, are located in the Midwest, South Central, and Gulf States due to a high demand for fertilizers in these areas. At least four nitric acid plants are located within 250 miles of the Indianapolis area (THOMASNET.com, n.d.). (U//FOUO) Background (U//FOUO) Triacetone-triperoxide (TATP) was discovered by German Scientist Richard Wolffenstein in 1895. TATP, an organic peroxide based explosive, is 83% as powerful as the equivalent amount of TNT. TATP has been nicknamed “the Mother of Satan” because many terrorists and security forces have been maimed or killed while handling this highly unstable substance (Kristijan, Keinan, & Tarsi, n.d.). (U//FOUO) Triacetone-triperoxide (TATP) in powder form. Source: (Ahura Scientific). (U//FOUO) TATP is a highly sensitive improvised primary explosive, easily manufactured by mixing hydrogen peroxide and acetone with the addition of an acid, such as sulfuric, nitric, or hydrochloric acid (National Counterterrorism Center, n.d.). This explosive is typically found in white crystalline powder form and has a distinct smell of bleach (Perthnow, 2013). (U//FOUO) TATP may be used as a detonator to set off more stable secondary explosives (Pyronfo, n.d.). It may also be used alone as a main explosive due to its destructive nature and high sensitivity to friction, heat, and shock. (U//FOUO) Analyst Note: The ingredients needed to manufacture TATP are commonly produced consumer goods: Hydrogen peroxide (a hair product, disinfectant, or bleaching agent) Acetone (a common ingredient in nail polish remover) An acid (such as hydrochloric acid—also known as muriatic acid—can be ordered online or found in swimming pool maintenance stores, among others) IIFC MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center is to collect, evaluate, analyze and disseminate information and intelligence data regarding criminal and terrorist activity in the State of Indiana while following Fair Information Practices to ensure the rights and privacy of citizens. UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Page 3 of 13 This information should be considered UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY. Further distribution of this document is restricted to approved agencies only, unless prior approval from the Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center is obtained. Persons or organizations violating distribution restrictions will be prohibited from receiving future documents and will be removed from distribution lists. NO REPORT OR SEGMENT THEREOF MAY BE RELEASED TO ANY MEDIA SOURCES. (U//FOUO) TATP poses a major threat to security services and law enforcement because its ingredients don’t contain the nitrate or nitro contents found in standard explosives such as TNT, C4, and RDX; making it extremely difficult to detect using conventional methods such as metal detectors and puffer booths (Dobson, 2010; Jean, 2007). (U//FOUO) In 2001, a terrorist attempted to detonate an explosive device containing TATP on a flight from Paris, France to Miami, Florida. Passengers and crew aboard the flight subdued the man after a flight attendant noticed he had attempted to light a fuse protruding from his shoe with a match (CNN, 2009). (U//FOUO) In October 2005, a college student died when the TATP he was carrying exploded outside a college football game (Johnson, n.d.). (U//FOUO) On 15 January 2015, Belgian commandos raided the safe house of a terror cell suspected to be associated with a known terrorist organization after wiretaps of phone conversations and listening devices indicated the cell was in the final stages of planning a major terrorist attack in Belgium. Inside, Belgian police discovered the chemicals necessary to manufacture TATP, thwarting an imminent terrorist attack (Cruickshank, 2015). (U//FOUO) Hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD) is an improvised primary explosive, typically found in powder form and often produced using three precursors: hydrogen peroxide, hexamine, and a weak acid (Johnson, n.d.; National Counterterrorism Center, n.d.). (U//FOUO) An alternative mixture used in the production of HMTD includes a combination of formaldehyde solution, hydrogen peroxide, and ammonium sulfate (Nordin, 2005). Additional alternative ingredients exist as well. (U//FOUO) Hexamethylene triperoxide
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