Hazardous Materials and Defense Information Blog

Pattern Analysis and Anti-Terrorism....

2010-11-24T19:47:00.000-08:00

Pattern analysis works.

Sadly, it’s all too often derided as “racial profiling” here in the U.S.

Ironically enough, pattern analysis is used by U.S. law enforcement unbeknownst to the vast majority of Americans.

When targeting the Russian Mob, NYPD and federal authorities focus on specific businesses the Russian mob has been known to infiltrate and they focus their wiretaps and other surveillance sweeps in predominantly Russian areas like Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.

They focus on biker gangs NOT inner city thugs when looking for Meth dealers and they DO focus on inner city thugs when looking for crack dealers.

Pattern analysis takes into account a wide array of parameters, both behavioral and (gasp!) ethnic/racial, as well.

Pattern analysis does NOT start with probable cause (reasonable suspicion), it uses actions, dress (ie. inappropriate clothing, like bulky clothing in warm weather), behaviors (pacing, excessive sweating, etc), oddities like taking a long one-way trip without much luggage, and other factors to ESTABLISH that reasonable suspicion.

Good law enforcement is never reactionary (responding to actual threats or criminal actions), it is proactive. That’s been the buzz word in law enforcement over the last 25 years. Proactive law enforcement looks at a crowd and looks for reasons to stop, detain, question and otherwise interdict people who COULD BE rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, meth dealers, etc.

Those who say that “Racial profiling is not pattern analysis” are 100% right! The fact that Americans have been programmed to inanely call pattern analysis “racial profiling” is unfortunate.

Israeli security targets “suspects” via a broad-based pattern analysis and American law enforcement uses pattern analysis in the way I properly defined; “When targeting the Russian Mob, NYPD and federal authorities focus on specific businesses the Russian mob has been known to infiltrate and they focus their wiretaps and other surveillance sweeps in predominantly Russian areas like Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. They focus on biker gangs NOT inner city thugs when looking for Meth dealers and they DO focus on inner city thugs when looking for crack dealers. Pattern analysis takes into account a wide array of parameters, both behavioral and ethnic/racial, as well.”

For the time being America has eschewed such pattern analysis, at least when in plain sight, such as in pre-flight boarding procedures, so in lieu of that, there’s the current state of affairs, where passengers are given a choice between a scanner and an “enhanced pat down”.

In truth, both the scanners and the “enhanced pat downs” are mostly for show, those things like the shoe removal and liquid restrictions are to show Americans their government is serious about their safety.

Hopefully the hidden nitrogen, peroxide, rad and other chemical sensors would ferret out any such materials.

There are people who claim this reactive methodology is incapable of stopping the more creative terror plots, because “they won’t use the same targets (ie. airlines) twice”.

Those folks (who include a significant number of recognized anti-terror experts) are apparently wrong, given that airlines have been used in multiple terror plots post-9/11, from Richard Reid’s attempted “shoe bombing” to the Christmas Eve “underwear bomber”. Our government pays a number of people to come up with various “workable terror plots” (scenarios) and they set up response and interdiction tactics based on those, as well.

But “the show” is important...it does serve a purpose.

Moreover, political correctness is not free...it comes with a price tag, often measured in inconvenience. I honestly don’t see the big deal here.

The confusing of legitimate pattern analysis with the inadequate measure of “racial profiling” is that it taints a very legitimate and highly effective strategy with an ineffective and unsavory one.

While pattern analysis works very well, actual racial profiling does not.

Remember the “shoe-bomber”, Richard Reid?

That’s not an Arabic name.

Reid didn’t dress in Muslim garb, didn’t look at all Arabic, nor was he from an Arab-Muslim country. He was born in England of (I believe) Jamaican parents.

Same thing in the USA, there are many “black Muslims” who do not have Muslim names (at least they haven’t changed their given names legally) and there are many inmates converted and radicalized in prisons who don’t have Muslim names or dress in Muslim attire. There are also many Muslims from the Balkans – “the Fort Dix Six” were all European-looking Bosnian Muslims.

Pattern analysis takes into account a wide array of factors, predominantly behavioral to establish a reasonable suspicion about that person.

Pattern analysis WOULD HAVE been useful in the Fort Hood (jihadist) attack, as both the CIA and FBI had rather thick files on Major Nidal Malik Hasan, whose own writings indicated an increasingly radical bent. The CIA was aware that the he’d attended “services” with Anwar al-Awlaki, the imam at the Dar al-Hijrah mosque between 2000 and 2002 now targeted for death by the U.S.

On that base Major Hasan showed no jihadist leanings and didn’t dress in Muslim garb on base even when off-duty. He DID however dress that way in town and the FBI had known of that for months before the Fort Hood terror attack.

Sadly, such pattern analysis is considered “racial profiling” by many naive ivory tower dolts in America and it’s considered too “offensive” (non-PC) for the government to effectively defend.

The Patriot Act has given various law enforcement agencies the permission to comb through any citizen’s banking records. If Terrel Richardson (a/k/a Mustafa Ali, converted in prison) now living in a South Bronx housing project comes into Newark Liberty airport wearing a heavy winter coat in May and his bank records show a recent deposit of $10,000 despite Richardson having “no visible means of support” (that’s “no jobby-job” in the vernacular), then Terrel Richardson SHOULD BE a prime suspect based on (1) his prison experience, which indicates a potential for jihadist recruitment), (2) his inappropriate attire and (3) his recent inexplicable financial transactions, DESPITE the fact that Mr. Richardson fits none of the requisite racial demographics in question.

No, racial profiling is not going to be effective in dealing with this threat, but pattern analysis certainly is a very useful, even necessary tool.

Inferno: Dust Explosion at Imperial Sugar

2009-11-07T16:14:00.001-08:00

February 7th, 2008 - sugar dust explosion at the Imperial Sugar Plant in Savannah, GA. Sugar dust burns very hot - at over 1800 degrees F.

Homemade Explosives...a Primer....

2009-10-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

Homemade Explosives, often referred to as Improvised Munitions or Improvised Explosives are a huge problem right now.

These are the kinds of munitions that the Zazi group was allegedly conspiring to use within the U.S. Pictured above is homemade Napalm being used.

The rest of this piece is from an online article found at; http://www.linkbase.org/articles/Homemade-Explosives.htm

Before this subject is explored a word of warning; This article is for information or entertainment purposes only, explosive chemicals are very dangerous and should be handled carefully, never lose sight of the fact that the careless handling of explosive devices could easily result burns, dismemberment or even death to the handler.

A lot of Anarchy related websites have already covered this subject to a large extent however such information is usually impractical and/or not feasible practically. A lot of Anarchy web sites related information is unreliable and vague at best. This article is not a step by step procedure but rather a broad overview that will help you understand these devices. A few easy and simple examples are also reviewed.

Safety Precautions
Fundamental Principles
Fundamental Principles : Types of Explosive
Fundamental Principles : Elements of Devices
Examples : Overview
Examples : Uses of Gunpowder
Examples : permanganate and Sugar
Examples : Permanganate and Aluminium
Examples : Chlorate and Vaseline Plastic Explosive
Examples : Carbon TET and Aluminium Liquid Explosive
Examples : Napalm Alternative as fuel additive
Examples : Urea Nitrate Explosive

Safety Precautions

A few things are necessary for self protection during the creation of explosive devices. Goggles, gloves and overalls for self protection during the handling of toxic materials. Breathing filter for guarding against toxic gases and a long stick to light the small quantities of explosive to be tested. When the materials are added together this should be done gently and carefully to avoid spontaneous detonation, there is especially a danger of friction igniting the material when a chemical is being powdered. Another danger of friction is in the use of pipe bombs, the steel of the pipe can easily cause the powder to explode prematurely so it is advisable to use a plastic bag or paper between the pipe and the chemical. Completed explosive chemicals should be tested in small quantities to verify their operation. When using toxic chemicals such as acids they should be handled in a fuming cupboard or in an open ventilated enviroment. Storage should be in a dark cool dry place away from other chemicals, a lot of explosive devices require use immediately after completion so storage of these could be dangerous. And finally if an electronic detonating circuit is to be used a safety switch should be added to the circuit to prevent an electronic fault causing an explosion.

Fundamental Principles

Explosives are simply chemicals or devices that when initiated are decomposed into a gaseous form at a very rapid rate, expanding into a large volume in high pressure. This in turn causes any casing or parts to fragment and fly outward causing damage. A large amount of energy is released which is dissipated as heat. Explosive chemicals are made up of the oxidizer and the fuel, the oxidizer provides oxygen and the fuel burns that oxygen, they work together at a fast rate to cause an explosion. A fuel ignited alone would try to take oxygen from the air therefore burning very slowly, burning out if the air supply is not present.

Fundamental Principles: Types of Explosive

There are two types of explosive devices, High Explosives which when initiated expand into their gaseous phase at a very fast rate. A low explosive however expands at a slow rate. A well known high explosive is C4 and Gunpowder a low explosive. Detonating explosives are very sensitive to heat, friction and impact, there are two types of detonating explosives; Primary and Secondary, the Primary is extremely sensitive and dangerous to handle, usually used in small quantities in detonators. The Secondary explosive is very safe to handle and is usually initiated by the primary explosive.

Fundamental Principles: Elements of Devices

The fuse is a slow burning cord that is used to initiate an explosive device by use of a short term delay, this is usually used with low explosives that are detonated by incendiary techniques. A High explosive is usually so stable that it requires a blastic cap or detonator to initiate. Explosive detonators can be improvised however their quality does not match the commercial detonators available. The advantage of Detonators is that they can be used with an electronic circuit which provides a large degree of accuracy in control of the explosive device. A metallic pipe can be used to contain low explosives so as to build up pressure and cause an explosion at high pressure. Plastic explosives are High Explosives added to wax or oils to create an easy to handle material that can also be molded into shapes.

Examples: Overview

The following examples are the simplest and easiest techniques for building explosive devices. All the materials are well known and has presented as an uncomplicated approach.

Examples: Uses of Gunpowder

Gunpowder which can be bought from a gun shop or emptied from shotgun shells has quite a few uses. A fuse can be created by laying down sticky tape sticky side up and sprinkling with powder or it can be used as a filler for a pipe bomb.

Examples: permanganate and Sugar

Potassium Permanganate is usually found as a purple powder sold openly in drugstores and chemical supply stores, it is very safe to handle on it's own and is a very well known oxidizer. Sugar is the fuel and is available in grocery stores. The finer the powders are in this case the better the explosion, a rolling pin can be used to refine the powder if it is too coarse however this should not be done to the compounded powders but rather to each powder individually. Once refined they can be added together by placing them on a paper and moving the paper to and fro to effectively create the mixture. Used alone this is a low explosive and will burn slowly, however it can be placed into a capped iron pipe and ignited with fuse for an effective explosion.

Examples : Permanganate and Aluminium

If the explosive force of the Permanganate/Sugar device is not adequate the sugar fuel can be replaced with powdered Aluminium which an be acquired from a paint store or a chemical supply store. The mixture created is a lot more volatile and will produce a better explosion when used in combination with a capped iron pipe and fuse.

Examples : Chlorate and Vaseline Plastic Explosive

Potassium Chlorate is a very useful powerful oxidizer but is a little difficult to acquire. Asides from chemical supply stores where it is well known as an explosive component hardware stores carry it as something called Solidox which is used for welding. It has to be powdered finely before use. 9 parts Chlorate to one part vaseline (Petroleum Jelly) are neaded together to form the plastic explosive. This requires a blasting cap to be effectively used and can be shaped as a plastic explosive.

Examples : Carbon TET and Aluminium Liquid Explosive

Carbon Tetrachloride was commonly used as a solvent, however these days it has been labeled as carcinogenic and is difficult to get hold off without visiting a chemical supply company, even then it causes suspicion as it is considered a difficult to handle chemical. Aluminium powder can be obtained from a chemical supply company or from a paint store as bronzing powder. Stir two parts aluminium to one part Carbon TET in a jar until consistency develops into a syrup. This can be detonated directly without the use of an iron pipe but requires a blasting cap detonator. Beware that the gases given off when the chemicals are stirred is toxic and that the chemical should be detonated within 72 hours afterwards.

Examples: Napalm Alternative as fuel additive

When using an explosive device it is useful to add to the device a container of petrol so as to cause incendiary damage to the target. Petrol being very volatile does not burn for a long time. Napalm burns for a very long time and sticks to any surface it is forced to contact with. To make Napalm simply stir half volume petrol with a half volume of Generic Soap shards, that is, soap with no added perfume or chemicals. This can be placed as a glass container next to the device for effective damage to the target.

Examples: Urea Nitrate Explosive

Finally Urea Nitrate which appears to be very popular with terrorists. Concentrated Nitric acid is required which is difficult to find anywhere but a chemical supply company and in addition Urine from animals or humans. 10 cups of urine are boiled down to 1 cup in size and then filtered and allowed to cool. Then 1/3 cup nitric acid is slowly added and left to set for an hour. After that filter the resulting solution through a cloth, the solid left on the cloth is Urea Nitrate which should be cleaned with water and left to dry for 16 hours. It can be spooned into a metal pipe and exploded with a blasting cap. For better effect powdered Aluminium is added to the Urea Nitrate. Beware that when adding Nitric acid to the urea toxic gases are given off.

Hydrogen Peroxide and Organic Fuel Mixtures as Possible Homemade Explosives...

2009-10-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

The DHS has recently released a document outlining that it is believed that terrorists could use hydrogen peroxide and organic fuel mixtures (HPOMs) in an attack against the United States.

The viability, performance and sensitivity of these explosives vary and are based on a number of factors, including the fuel chosen, the ratio of peroxide (an oxidizer) to fuel and the concentration of peroxide used.

Peroxide can be concentrated from lower percentages (ie. household 2% hydrogen peroxide) through heating and all the above ingredients are available in stores.

The organic fuels used in these mixtures inlude many common products such as acetone, black pepper, cumin, ethanol (grain alcohol), flour, ground coffee, honey, nitromethane, sugar, Colas, etc.HPOMs re extremely sensitive to shock/impact, friction, static spark and heat and in large quantities can self-heat and ignite if in sunlight or a hot room.

HPOMs were used in the July 21st, 2007 bombings in England (pictured above).

SEE: http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3D%2522hydrogen%2Bperoxide%2Band%2Bflour%2522%26ei%3Dutf-8%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701&w=360&h=279&imgurl=www.telegraph.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fgraphics%2F2007%2F03%2F13%2Fnbomb13.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fmain.jhtml%3Fxml%3D%2Fnews%2F2007%2F03%2F13%2Fnterr13.xml&size=29k&name=nbomb13+jpg&p=%22hydrogen+peroxide+and+flour%22&oid=7165420eacedce8e&fr2=&no=1&tt=1&sigr=12b5gpgdn&sigi=11oj9dqv5&sigb=1360t2j8f

Potassium Chlorate and Sugar

2009-08-05T18:46:00.001-07:00

A crude explosive made from common potassium chlorate and sugar.

3 liter Chlorine bomb

2009-08-05T18:44:00.001-07:00

A 3 liter bottle containing about 16 oz of water, aluminum foil and pool chlorine pellets crushed is sealed and is enclosed in a 5 gallon bucket.....BOOM!

tennis ball bomb (500 matches) massive explosion!!!

2009-08-05T18:37:00.001-07:00

A crude tennis ball bomb....

Personal Protective Equipment http://www.visualiss.com

2009-08-05T18:35:00.001-07:00

A PPE video from ISafety Solutions

Barricading and Demarcation

2009-08-05T18:33:00.001-07:00

Great video on barricading and demarcation for dangerous substances....

CSB Safety Video: Half an Hour to Tragedy

2009-08-05T18:31:00.001-07:00

Propane explosion on January 30th, 2007 in Ghent, West Virginia.

How To Make A Drano Bomb

2009-08-05T18:28:00.001-07:00

This is how easy it is to make a "Drano Bomb" - about a quarter of a 20 oz bottle filled with water, with aluminum foil balls and Drano. Enclose in a tightly sealed container and...BOOM!

Enormous Drano Bomb

2009-08-05T18:26:00.001-07:00

Large (3 liter) Drano Bomb - water + aluminum foil balls + Drano = EXPLOSIVE mixture!

Chlorine and coke bomb!!!

2009-08-05T18:24:00.001-07:00

Crushed chlorine pellets + Coca Cola = BOOM!!!

Chlorine and Brake fluid

2009-08-05T18:20:00.001-07:00

More chlorine bleach and break fluid....

chlorine + brake fluid=

2009-08-05T18:19:00.001-07:00

This is how easy it is to make a bleach and Break Fluid bomb....just put those two ingredients together in a tightly sealed container and....BOOM!

seismic seconds: the bhopal gas disaster part1

2009-08-05T18:13:00.001-07:00

Analysis of the Bhopal tragedy - the release of significant amounts of Methyl Iso-Cyanate from a Union Carbide owned chemical plant in Bhopal, India.

CSB Safety Video: Dangers of Flammable Gas Accumulation

2009-08-05T18:11:00.001-07:00

Acetylene gas explosion at the Acetylene Services Company (ASCo) in Perth Amboy, NJ on January 25th, 2005.

Train car explosion bleve

2009-08-05T18:09:00.001-07:00

A 1983 train derailment at Murdock, Illinois, in which a propane tanker BLEVES, followed by an iso-butane tanker explosion.

CSB Safety Video: Propylene Fire and Explosions

2009-08-05T18:05:00.001-07:00

CSB Safety Video: Ethylene Oxide Explosion

2009-08-05T18:04:00.001-07:00

August 19th, 2004 Ethylene Oxide explosion in Ontario, California. Video from the US Chemical Safety Board (CSB).