Al Qaeda Threat: Officials Fear 'ingenious' Liquid Explosive

[naomi24]

There are growing concerns that an al Qaeda affiliate could use a new generation of liquid explosive, currently undetectable, in a potential attack. The new tactic allows terrorists to dip ordinary clothing into the liquid to make the clothes themselves into explosives once dry.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/al-qaeda-threat-officials-fear-ingenious-liquid-explosive/story?id=19871892

How do we counter that?

And the first one who says we all fly naked can go and stand in the corner! :o)

[sandyRoe]

They'd still need a detonator

[EDDIE51]

An explosive burka?

[EDDIE51]

As a Chemist i know this liquid can only be an oxidant mixture of some sort. To make an explosive you need 2 components the oxidant and the fuel, the fuel has to be the clothes themselves. Cotton soaked in Ammonium Nitrate solution and dried would be explosive I would think , similar to Guncotton.

[Old_Geezer]

It's too crowded in this corner :-(

Well you change into flying overalls supplied for the duration of the journey. Clothes go into the hold.

I find it difficult to believe one could not detect it if checked for.

[EDDIE51]

Making guncotton is easy all you need to know is on the 'net'
[REDACTED]
I would think that to make a bomb you would fill a suitcase with clothes made of guncotton , they would look like normal clothes but be explosive.

[EDDIE51]

imagine a suitcase full of this stuff , you have to wait till 3.15sec on th video to see it

[askyourgran]

Would making the suspect passengers go through the showers before boarding, or develop detectors/dogs? Soggy passengers sit together.

[LazyGun]

I seem to remember that it became El-Als policy that all passengers had to fly in a coverall provided during check- in, and all clothes had to go in the hold - something like that, anyway.

This was not so much to prevent mid-air bombs, but was their strategy to combat hijackings, which were a not infrequent event back in the 1970s

[FredPuli43]

So? Who's worried? Al Qaeda would have to kill one heck of a lot of people to make us concede any demands they have and the chances of being on a plane they brought down are still exceedingly small. But stories like this do help to bring them publicity. What do they want, exactly? And how strong is their army of suicidal volunteers?

[ludwig]

// how strong is their army of suicidal volunteers? //

Not very strong Fred. I went to a suicide bomber reunion dinner the other week and it was very poorly attended.

I should think sniffer dogs or sniffer devices of some sort could sort this one out. I'm not a chemist but I would have thought anything laced with any kind of explosive chemical would be easy to detect.

[Spoonboy]

Upon seeing vid, in order to wear something like this, would the majority of them have to quit smoking pretty damn quickly?!!

[sandyRoe]

With security in airports at the level that it is it's surprising they haven't changed tactics. Planes taxiing or landing at a city airport like Heathrow might be vulnerable to gun or rocket attack.

[ludwig]

Nice thread, seeing as I'm planning to be on a long haul flight on Sunday. Thanks Naomi ;o)

[naomi24]

Oops! Silly me. :o)

[237SJ]

They`ll probably soon develop swab tests (like the ones they have now) that will sniff out the explosives.

[emmie]

if someone is intent on doing this the simple answer is you can't, no more than detecting the home made bombs carried by the Chechen brothers, they will find a way.

[emmie]

the problem with checks of any kinds is how long it takes to get three hundred odd people through the gates, no good profiling because as we have seen the items can be placed on anyone, anyhow, like the potential bomber who was wearing it in his underwear, and the other shoe bomber, foolish, misguided rogue elements can get through.

[naomi24]

I never mind waiting in a security queue - and nine times out of ten I set the buzzer off and get frisked. Fine by me.

[FredPuli43]

Bon voyage, Ludwig! We'll read the news with special interest.

Puzzled by security checks. There has been a shoe bomber, so we have to remove our shoes. There must have been a belt bomber, so we have to remove our belts. There has definitely been an underwear bomber , so....nothing. Thank goodness for that!

[EDDIE51]

Ludwig. if you want to be really safe carry your own bomb with you!
Statistics prove that the chances of a bomb being on a plane are 25,000 to one. But the chances of 2 bombs being on the same plane are 350,000,000,000 to one.
Sorry , this is a joke ! ( sits back and waits for the door to be kicked in)