Jihadists Look To Future Of Terrorist "Frankenbombing"

It was reported last year that a terrorist tried (and failed) to assassinate Saudi Arabia's counter terrorism chief by detonating explosives in his anus. That turned out to be merely an underwear bomb attempt, not a surgically-implanted bombing, but the fear of body-bombing remains, at least in the media. In March, Fox reported that "female homicide bombers are being fitted with exploding breast implants which are almost impossible to detect," according to MI5 sources. And now the SITE Intelligence Group has picked up chatter that "Al Qaeda affiliates" are working to match doctors with suicide bombers in search of exploding implants.

According to a translation by terror experts at the SITE Intelligence Group, users of a Jihadi website forum are discussing stitching bombs made of plastic or liquid explosives, such as semtex or PETN, to the abdominal cavity. According to a transcript obtained by The Daily News, one forum member advises that the bomb "must be planted near the surface of the body, because the human body absorbs shocks." Another wrote, "I am waiting for the interaction of the experienced brothers to connect the two sciences together and produce a new kind of terrorism, Allah willing."

The controversial new porno scanners can see under clothes but not through human tissue. So does this mean body cavity checks are the next act in the TSA's Security Theater Variety Hour? TSA chief John Pistole has already promised not to look inside travelers' orifices, and he's counting on security screeners to find the detonators that butt or breast or belly bombers would need to keep outside of their bodies. "You have to have some external device to cause that initiation," Pistole said earlier this month, "That's what the advanced imaging technology machine will pick up: any anomaly outside of the body."

Other experts aren't convinced the TSA is prepared for the coming wave of butt bombers. "We have nothing in our arsenal that would detect these bombs," one counter-terrorism expert told Jeffrey Goldberg at the Atlantic last month. "My assumption is that a bomb carried onto an airplane in the anus could be removed in the bathroom and detonated clear of the body. You're dealing with a thin-skinned airplane, so even a detonation of a pound of explosives in the anus could punch a hole."

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By John Del Signore in News on December 6, 2010 10:41 AM

Comments [rss]

Guest

"my fart can kill."
"haha! that's a good joke!"
"..."

Guest

*BOOM*

"look who's laughing now, biatch!"
"HAHA! IT'S STILL FUNNY! GOOD ONE!"

Ragingsemi

Gee anyone think this may be propaganda designed to support the full body/chemotherapy scanners in airports?

the_lonely_survivor

"We have nothing in our arsenal that would detect these bombs.." Hmm.. " "nothing in our ARSEnal."

PaulaNYC

"We have nothing in our arsenal that would detect these bombs,"

Yes they do; they just don't want to use it because its not politically correct. Its callled PROFILING.

pmalik

Behavioral profiling for the win... I never did understand why they're looking at catholic grandmas when looking for young muslim extremists.

All the attempted attacks so far were by the people in the profile (young, male, muslim, arab/black), so while the thread profile can change, it's a good baseline. Behavioral rather than racial profiling is probably a better bet, because I'm sure they'll try to recruited some suburbian born white moron that found Allah as part of his teen angst.

langleycollyer

All I know is they should just make the whole plane out of whatever they make the black box out of. Am I right, people?

TheOtherBob

Straight Dope was asked that question some time ago (i.e. "why not make the planes out of the black box material?")

To paraphrase, the answer was "because the highways aren't wide enough."

Guest

if they start searching for surgically implanted bombs in airports, Ice-T's freakshow of a wife, Coco, is gonna have major problems!

JenChungsBaby

Talk about explosive bowel movements.

Rocknrope

"female homicide bombers are being fitted with exploding breast implants which are almost impossible to detect,"

Yeah, she killed a bunch of people, but she had a great rack.

S.D.

It's like something out of an Austin Powers Movie...

CityFace

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt00...

RevWaldo

IANAM but among the things considered seriously forbidden in Islam is defiling the body - tattoos, piercings, cosmetic surgery, etc. So this might be a nonstarter even for an extremist. (As far as whether the other way to hide a bomb would be forbidden, well, I'm not gonna be the one to google it.)

Rocknrope

As far as I know, killing Muslims and suicide are also a serious no-no's in Islam, but they seem to be glossing over that just fine.

Rocknrope

"...a pound of explosives in the anus could punch a hole."

Sounds like my last meal at The Olive Garden

TheOtherBob

Hmm. Olive Garden has never left me in the bathroom begging for the sweet embrace of mythical virgins -- but I do feel that way about Applebees.