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What's the Source of All These Plastic Explosives?

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On the Road Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 10:50 PM
Original message
What's the Source of All These Plastic Explosives?
Edited on Thu Nov-20-03 10:58 PM by ribofunk
The ambulance bomb on Nov 11 had roughly 1,000 pounds of the stuff. This is an enormous quantity. From what I hear, other vehicle bombs have had huge amounts as well.

If plastic explosives can be made in a basement with readily available materials, we're in serious trouble.

If it requires a large chemical plant using exotic materials, where would they be coming from? Would another government need to be involved, or could they just be purchased on the black market?
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MnFats Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 10:52 PM
Response to Original message
1. Somehow I think even asking the question here...
...could attract the undue attention of the Ashcroft pit bulls.
I expect even typing in the phrase sets off some alarm in the internet scrutiny office of the Office of Homeland Security.

try a google search eh?
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On the Road Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 10:57 PM
Response to Reply #1
4. The Source of the Material
is something our own intelligence agencies are hard at work on and I think the media should be working on.

I'm not asking about a recipe at all -- just what the manufacturing process indicates about the source. I've seen the question, but not satisfactorily answered. But per your suggestion, I'll change the title if possible to be less controversial.
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htuttle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 11:00 PM
Response to Reply #4
7. It's not as hard as nuclear weapons
I'm not sure there would be much of a fingerprint as far as the source, any more than other industrial explosives would have.
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kalashnikov Donating Member (257 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 10:53 PM
Response to Original message
2. You need a fair amount of expertise to produce that much
plastic explosive. Its more likely they bought it off the black market or stole it.
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funkyflathead Donating Member (723 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 10:55 PM
Response to Reply #2
3. Agreed n/t
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On the Road Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 11:00 PM
Response to Reply #2
6. Does This Say Anything About It's Sustainability?
There has got to be a serious crackdown going on right now because of the destruction they're causing. If the US can turn the screws tight enough, it make make it difficult to get. If it keeps flowing in ever-increasing amounts, maybe there's a government behind it.
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Dookus Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 10:58 PM
Response to Original message
5. this is not
the place to ask such a question.
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Superfly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 11:01 PM
Response to Original message
8. Making plastic explosive at home is very, very easy
my brother, a combat engineer, showed me how to make a very effective plastique using common ingredients.
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On the Road Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 11:04 PM
Response to Reply #8
10. Thanks, Superfly
That's exactly what I wanted to know. And very bad news for our troops.
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Superfly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 11:07 PM
Response to Reply #10
11. All you need is
black or smokeless gun powder and rubber cement.
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arewethereyet Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 11:09 PM
Response to Reply #10
12. more of a problem for us than them
not that the process is any different but the conditions are.

its easier for the moody teenager next door to accoplish this than some guy in Iraq.
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Superfly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 11:12 PM
Response to Reply #12
13. I'm not sure "easier" is the issue
Edited on Thu Nov-20-03 11:12 PM by Superfly
convenience is. I mean, there are, without a doubt, huge stockpiles of conventional weapons in Iraq, that are, presumably, being traded illegaly.

Why would one of them break out the Poor Man's James Bond when he could probably buy mass quantities of good Russian stuff for cheap?
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arewethereyet Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 11:42 PM
Response to Reply #13
16. thats kind of my point
plastic explosives are a greater danger in the West because they are small, powerful and easy to make.

If the poster wants to worry specifically about this particular weapon its his own neighborhood at larger risk than our troops in Iraq. They need to worry about those dern RPGs
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greatauntoftriplets Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 11:01 PM
Response to Original message
9. Named for a village in the Czech Republic.
http://www.bartleby.com/61/2/S0260250.html
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ijk Donating Member (73 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 11:37 PM
Response to Original message
14. plastic explosives
They're not totally easy to make, but the amounts out there are enormous. I mean, every army in the world probably has tons of plastic explosive; big police departments, whatever. Wasn't there some talk a few years ago about requiring manufacturers to do chemical tagging of the explosives they produced?
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kalashnikov Donating Member (257 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-03 11:38 PM
Response to Original message
15. for more info go to totse.com
but be warned, there is alot of info on that site.
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izzie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-21-03 01:43 AM
Response to Original message
17. Well sorry Ashcroft but I willing to bet some large corp makes the stuff.
Bomb mills are not giving workers pink slips.We are not sending this overseas I bet.
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