Q&A: A liquid explosives primer [View All]

umm.. i was surprized to find this on the front page.


http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/280901_liquid11.html
Friday, August 11, 2006

Q&A: A liquid explosives primer

By BOB DEANS
COX NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON -- British authorities who thwarted a terrorist plot to blow up American airliners over the Atlantic said Thursday that the plan relied on smuggling liquid explosives aboard the aircraft in carry-on luggage. Here are some questions and answers about the threat posed by such explosives.

Q. What are liquid explosives?

A. The most common is nitroglycerin, a powerful explosive that is the key ingredient in dynamite. As little as a few ounces is sufficient to blow a hole in a window or the fuselage wall of an aircraft. Planes flying at high altitude use pressurized cabins for passenger comfort. A relatively small hole in such a cabin can cause a plane to essentially blow apart at high altitude because of the difference in pressure inside and outside the cabin. more...............