Page 108 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

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82———Bombings and Bomb Scares

as a terrorist tool. Were it not for the simplicity and victims, the better; in short, terrorists often seek to
anonymity of the bomb as a weapon, Kaczynski’s create what is known as a “spectacular”—an incident
destructive career, and his infamy, might well have so shocking that its images of destruction and horror
been impossible. become imprinted in the minds of viewers around the
world. Bombs are one of the favorite methods of
achieving such an effect.
USE OF BOMBS IN TERRORISM:
THE URBAN GUERRILLA The 1993 World Trade Center bombing is one
prominent example of such an attempt. The bombers
Another example of the advantages of the bomb for involved in that incident constructed a 1,300-pound
terrorists is seen in the development of the IRA, which bomb and concealed it in a Ryder moving van, parking
has used it as a primary weapon throughout the it in an underground garage beneath the complex. They
30-year Northern Irish conflict. Northern Ireland is a hoped that the explosion would cause the building’s
British colony with a Protestant majority; the IRA steel support beams to collapse on one side, causing
wishes to reunite the provinces of Northern Ireland the skyscraper to fall into its twin and destroying both.
with the Catholic-majority Republic of Ireland. Ever The building was much sturdier than the terrorists
since violence erupted in the late 1960s, the British had expected; despite causing a 200-foot-wide crater
Army has maintained a strong troop presence in (which in turn caused the floors to collapse above and
Northern Ireland, in addition to the local police force, below the level of the bomb), only six people were
the Royal Ulster Constabulary. killed by the bomb, all within its immediate vicinity.
Northern Ireland is quite small; though it contains More than 1,000 people were injured, however, and the
many rural areas, there is no wilderness for terrorists incident highlighted the vulnerabilities of skyscrapers
to retreat to as in Latin America. IRA cells were to terrorist attack, as it took several hours for the build-
instead based in the Catholic neighborhoods, particu- ing to be evacuated.
larly the urban ghettos of Belfast and Derry. To oper- Though the 1993 World Trade Center terrorists
ate under such conditions, IRA operatives needed to were unable to cause the thousands of casualties they
be able to melt away following each of their attacks, had hoped for, the bombing was spectacular in the
for if any terrorists were captured at the scene it could extent of media coverage it received. Indeed, the
mean vital intelligence leaks to the security forces. event served as precursor to the attacks of September
For these reasons, the IRA came to rely on the bomb 11, 2001, highlighting as it did the potential to dis-
as its main tactic, particularly the car bomb. rupt financial markets and the intensive media cov-
A bomb factory could be set up in almost any loca- erage such an event happening in Manhattan would
tion, without attracting the notice of passersby—a evoke.
garage, a factory, even a basement. The weapon could
similarly be transported to the scene of the attack PREVENTING BOMBINGS
without attracting notice, concealed in a duffle bag or AND BOMB SCARES
a suitcase. Cars especially could be placed outside a
target for a considerable period of time without rais- Unfortunately, it is very difficult for police to prevent
ing police suspicion, allowing the terrorist to be far bomb attacks. Because the necessary materials to man-
from the scene by the time of the explosion. The ufacture bombs are so common and numerous—it is
extensive use of bombs allowed the IRA to work in estimated that nearly 4,000 different chemicals can be
a heavily policed, high-security urban areas with used to obtain an explosive reaction—it is almost
relatively little risk to it operatives, for a period of impossible to track and control their sales, as is done
decades. with the chemicals used in manufacturing. Many
police departments across the country have bomb
squads composed of highly trained individuals who
USE OF BOMBS IN TERRORISM:
THE SPECTACULAR can defuse explosive devices when they are found, but
bomb squads can go into action only when police have
One of the main goals of terrorists is to attract public some forewarning of a potential attack. Some terrorist
attention through their crimes. Thus, the more famous groups phone in such warnings before their attacks, but
the target, the more devastating the bomb, the more many do not. In addition, warnings can be used to