By Randy Taylor, Senior Analyst & Electronics Surveillance Specialist
24 August 2004: Readers will likely recall the still images of the notorious bomb vests worn by homicide bombers using ball bearings or BBs as a maiming and deadly payload used to inflict mass casualties in large groups of people. Last summer, terrorists made an instructional video that was disseminated to numerous jihadist web sites and terrorist forums that illustrated each step, from their construction to images of their potentially deadly results. Since that time, some homicide bombers have used such devices in Iraq against our troops and in the Middle East.
Within the last 24 hours, another insidious video was intercepted before making its way to the commonly monitored Arabic web sites and forums. This is a professionally done instructional video that illustrates how to make a larger device that appears to have its primary use as an anti-personnel weapon.
It is ground mounted on a tripod, with a rifle sight and sits about 30”-48” off the ground facing the target. The body of the explosive is a quarter inch steel ring about 6” wide and about 12-16 inches in diameter, reinforced, packed in a hardened substance with BB shot of your choice. It is filled with an explosive jelly-like substance and powder mixture and a fuse assembly port so the terrorist could use a variety of fuses or detonators.
Placed in a confined area, on a pathway, entrance or even in advance in a crowed area, the intended targets would not likely survive the deadly force of this blast. The bbs or shrapnel rip through layers of metal with obvious ease.
Like a claymore style mine, it would appear that this device would be extremely difficult to detect if properly placed. All U.S. and coalition forces need to be made aware that this unit is being constructed for use in the Iraqi theater of operation and also aware of its potentially deadly effects. The video was sent to U.S. Military commanders upon being found.
Although this highly detailed video is just over 26 minutes in length and over 64 MB in size, the Northeast Inelligence Network is making the unedited Arabic copy to Military personnel by request (request must be made though a U.S. military e-mail address) and law enforcement personnel under the same guidelines.
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