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Thwarting Terrorist Bombing And Other Threats:
Part 2- Conditions & Threats

By Lawrence Kane

Editor’ Note: This is the second in a two part series on Thwarting Terrorist Bombings and Other Threats. Part 1 of this series focused on awareness and assessment. Part 2 focuses on various categories of threats, their indicators and choices of action.

Suspicious Objects

Terrorist threats are frequently indirect, delivered via remote explosives rather than via direct personal attacks. Unlike a typical mugger or common criminal, terrorists are usually looking to cause as many casualties as possible with the least amount of effort. It's hard to create mass havoc through a one-on-one attack.

When traveling through public places or using public transportation it is prudent to look for and report any suspicious or unattended packages, devices, or baggage that could be used to deliver an explosive charge. There are many instances where alert civilians have been able to thwart potential remote bombing attacks.

For example, on January 23, 2005 a young boy playing in the village of Barangay Malisbong, an Abu Sayyaf stronghold in the Philippines, discovered a powerful explosive device concealed in a two-liter plastic soy-sauce container packed with shrapnel and rigged to a timing device. He reported his discovery to the authorities who disarmed the weapon and subsequently arrested two terrorist suspects. Similar devices were retrieved unexploded from a packed public market in Midsayap and the Cotabato City Cathedral the next day.

If you discover a suspicious package it is best to avoid using a cellular phone or radio transmitter within 50 feet, however, as your transmission could cause a bomb to detonate. Some specific things to look for can include:

• Hidden or abandoned packages of any kind, including large items left in garbage containers

• Packages that are connected to wires, timers, tanks, or bottles.

• Items that appear to be releasing a mist, gas, vapor, or have any unusual odor.

• Packages containing canisters, tanks, metal boxes, or bottles.

Suspicious Vehicles

Vehicles can be suspicious too. They are, after all, frequently used to deliver explosive charges (e.g., Oklahoma City bombing). Once again, there are many instances where alert civilians have been able to thwart potential vehicle bombing attacks.

For example, on February 28, 2005 an astute villager in the city of Arabe notified Israeli security forces of a commercial truck with a long cable protruding from it. Upon closer examination, the cable was attached to a battery and a video camera, most likely intended to document an impending terrorist attack. IDF forces discovered a large amount of explosives packed in the back of the vehicle which they subsequently detonated in a controlled manner to dispose of the threat.

According to the FBI Bomb Data Center, six pounds of explosives (cigar box) has a fragmentation range of 832 feet. For reference, the London subway bombs were all less than ten pounds each. Forty pounds of explosives (briefcase) has a fragmentation range of 1,129 feet. One hundred and sixty pounds of explosives (suitcase) has a fragmentation range of 1,792 feet. You can imagine how devastating a truck bomb twenty times that size could be. Potential vehicle bombs can often be identified by:

• Mismatched or precariously hung license plates.

• Attempts to abandon the vehicle in an inappropriate spot near a high value target.

• An extra heavy load in the back.

• Attempts to evade roadblocks or security checkpoints.

• Refusal to slow down or comply with legitimate commands by law enforcement authorities or security personnel.

Suspicious People

In addition to remote explosive devices or vehicle-delivered bombs, suicide attacks can also be a concern. This tactic has been used by Al Qaeda, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezballah, the Kurdistan Worker's Party, and the Tamil Tigers, among other groups, affecting countries such as Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, China, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Panama, the Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

While anyone can blow him or herself up for a cause, the typical suicide bomber is male, unmarried, in his late teens or early 20s, and fanatical about his beliefs. He is often well educated, coming from a middle class background. Security experts are becoming adept at identifying such individuals through their suspicious behavior. Warning signs can include:

• Unseasonable dress, particularly when conspicuously bulky.

• Protruding bulges or exposed wires under clothing, potentially seen through the sleeve.

• Attempts to wear a disguise or blend into a crowd where the person does not seem to belong.

• Repeated and nervous handling of fashion accessories or clothing.

• Slow-paced movements with intense focus.

• Profuse sweating in excess of what might be expected due to environmental conditions.

• Nervous muttering, mumbling, or praying.

• Attempts to maintain distance from or otherwise avoid security personnel where present.

• Exuding a faint chemical odor.

Countervailing Force

While awareness can help you avoid terrorist attacks altogether, it can also help you thwart one before it can be pulled off successfully. Because the trained martial artist is far better prepared than the average citizen to take action in these cases, we should be prepared to intervene when necessary. Prudent application of countervailing force can be very effective.

For example, on March 8, 2002 a Palestinian youth in his 20s walked into the crowded Caffit coffee house in Jerusalem and asked for a glass of water. This was nothing unusual as that particular part of town was a popular hangout for Palestinian teenagers many of whom frequented the café. What was unusual, however, was the fact that he was carrying a large black school bag, appeared nervous, and was sweating profusely.

An astute waiter, Shlomi Harel, became concerned by the youth's behavior, noticed a suspicious wire leading from the backpack, and took immediate action. Pushing the youth outside, Harel and a security guard who also worked in the building snatched the bomb from the assailant's hands, yanked the wire from the detonator, wrestled him to the ground, and held him until police could arrive. Their quick action averted what Police Chief Mickey Levy said would have been, “a major disaster.”

Parting Thoughts

Terrorist attacks are, by definition, terrifying. It is easy to feel hopeless in the face of such danger yet it is also possible to hone your sense of awareness, identifying and avoiding peril before it becomes too late. Good situational awareness means having a solid understanding of time and place and how they relate to you, your family, friends, and others around you at any given moment. Any time you are near others, especially strangers, you must be vigilant. If you can sense danger before stumbling across it you have a much better chance of escaping unscathed.

While the odds of encountering a terrorist bomber are remote, a refined sense of awareness can be beneficial in any type of hazardous encounter, be it with a person, place, or thing. Violence almost never happens in a vacuum. There is always some escalation process—even a really short one—that precedes it. Consequently there are always physiological, behavioral, environmental, or verbal indicators that you can spot to warn you of imminent peril. By constantly surveying and evaluating your environment, you achieve more control over what ultimately happens to you.

Copyright © 2005 Lawrence Kane posted on FightingArts.com with permission of the author.


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About The Author:

Lawrence Kane is the author of Martial Arts Instruction: Applying Educational Theory and Communication Techniques in the Dojo (YMAA) and co-author of The Way of Kata: A Comprehensive Guide to Deciphering Martial Applications (YMAA, September 2005). Over the last 30 or so years, he has participated in a broad range of martial arts, from traditional Asian sports such as judo, arnis, kobudo, and karate to recreating medieval European combat with real armor and rattan (wood) weapons. He has taught medieval weapons forms since 1994 and Goju Ryu karate since 2002. He has also completed seminars in modern gun safety, marksmanship, handgun retention and knife combat techniques, and he has participated in slow-fire pistol and pin shooting competitions.

Since 1985 Lawrence has supervised employees who provide security and oversee fan safety during college and professional football games at a Pac-10 stadium. This job has given him a unique opportunity to appreciate violence in a myriad of forms. Along with his crew, he has witnessed, interceded in, and stopped or prevented hundreds of fights, experiencing all manner of aggressive behaviors as well as the escalation process that invariably precedes them. He has also worked closely with the campus police and state patrol officers who are assigned to the stadium and has had ample opportunities to examine their crowd control tactics and procedures.

Lawrence lives in Seattle, Washington. He can be contacted via e-mail here.

For more information on Kanes two books see:

The Way of Kata

Martial Arts Instruction

 


To find more articles of interest, search on one of these keywords:

terrorism, danger or terrorist attacks, train bombings, suicide bombers, package bombs, situational awareness


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