New Details: Terrorist Had a Very Powerful Bomb Sewn Into His Clothes
New details on the attempted Christmas Day terror attack:
The plot to blow up an American passenger jet over Detroit was organized and launched by al Qaeda leaders in Yemen who apparently sewed bomb materials into the suspect’s underwear before sending him on his mission, federal authorities tell ABC News.
Investigators say the suspect had more than 80 grams of PETN, a compound related to nitro-glycerin used by the military. The so-called shoe bomber, Richard Reid, had only about 50 grams kin his failed attempt in 2001 to blow up a U.S.-bound jet. Yesterday’s bomb failed because the detonator may have been too small or was not in “proper contact” with the explosive material, investigators told ABC News.
So it was indeed a bomb, not just an “incendiary device” as earlier reports claimed — and a very powerful bomb at that. PETN is a notoriously unstable explosive, so the passengers on that plane are incredibly lucky that it didn’t detonate as intended.
Frank says: