Amrozi's defence: it was 'some kind of nuclear bomb' (Bali Bomber)

Accused Bali bomber Amrozi today suggested that last October's deadly blast may have been the result of a nuclear explosion.

In an extraordinary opening to his defence on charges of carrying out the terrorist bombing, Amrozi admitted buying explosive chemicals and a vehicle, but told the court his bomb would not have been powerful enough to cause such damage.

Amrozi, the so-called "smiling assassin" who enraged Westerners with his casual demeanour after his arrest, suggested it may have been a nuclear device set off after tracking by American or Israeli satellites.

"Up to now I still have doubts that that kind of explosion with that many victims was caused by the car I sent," he told the court.

"I wouldn't blame people who said it was some kind of nuclear bomb."

He said the US and Israel had satellite devices that could have tracked the car bomb and detonated an explosion as the car drove down Legian Street in Kuta's nightclub strip.

Some 202 people, including 88 Australians, died in the blast on October 12 last year.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/14/1058034919319.html

Rumormillnews, to be specific. Where it was said to be a "micro-nuke". According to the web site, the crater left in the ground was not caused by what the official story claimed. I believe some of the local press, doubted the official story.

was all over the place in the days after the bombing. Of course, the conspiracy theory is more fascinating when it's used as the key defendant's case for acquittal...

I never heard of that one.

It was a substance the Soviets were rumored to have created that could pack the blast capabilities of a very small nuclear warhead into an object as small as a basketball. It was also rumored to be able to be used in a softball-sized object that would produce a sub-nuclear explosion and radiation burst similar to a mini-neutron bomb that would expose anyone within a few hundred yards to a lethal amount of radiation. So far, there hasn't been any confirmation of its existance, though several respected nuclear phyicists have said it is theoretically possible to create.

As far as this blast being the result of a nuclear bomb, that seriously underestimates the power of even a TINY nuke. Nuclear warheads require a minimum amount of fissionable material to reach critical mass. Even using the bare minimum, this amount of uranium or plutonium would still deliver a blast equivalent to hundreds of tons of TNT, enough to level a city block, not just a nightclub. Everyone remember the MOAB bomb the US fielded in Afghanistan and Iraq? That 22,000 lb bomb (the biggest non-nuclear warhead built) was still only a fraction of the yield of the Hiroshima blast, which was small by modern standards. Unless, of course, there is such a thing as red mercury.

but someone beat him to it?

that's his defense?

I'm not really big on conspiracy theories--in fact I think that most of them are really neat to read about and then put back on the shelf marked F for fiction. This one is straight out of a bad spy novel. I like the way he's blaming the Americans and the Israelis for this. Blame the Americans and the Jews--enemies of Islam!

What a bloody crock of crap!