Car bomb explained

A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles.

Car bombs can be roughly divided into two main categories: those used primarily to kill the occupants of the vehicle (often as an assassination) and those used as a means to kill, injure or damage people and buildings outside the vehicle. The latter type may be parked (the vehicle disguising the bomb and allowing the bomber to get away), or the vehicle might be used to deliver the bomb (often as part of a suicide bombing).

It is commonly used as a weapon of terrorism or guerrilla warfare to kill people near the blast site or to damage buildings or other property.[1] Car bombs act as their own delivery mechanisms and can carry a relatively large amount of explosives without attracting suspicion. In larger vehicles and trucks, weights of around 5000lbs or more have been used, for example, in the Oklahoma City bombing.[2] Car bombs are activated in a variety of ways, including opening the vehicle's doors, starting the engine, remote detonation, depressing the accelerator or brake pedals, or simply lighting a fuse or setting a timing device.[3] The gasoline in the vehicle's fuel tank may make the explosion of the bomb more powerful by dispersing and igniting the fuel.

History

Mario Buda's improvised wagon used in the 1920 Wall Street bombing is considered a prototype of the car bomb.[4]

The first car bombing "fully conceptualized as a weapon of urban warfare" came January 12, 1947 when Lehi (also known as Stern Gang), a Zionist paramilitary organization, bombed the Haifa police station.[4]

In the fall of 2005, there were 140 car bombings happening per month.[4]

Car bombs are preceded by the 16th century hellburners, explosive-laden ships which were used to deadly effect by the besieged Dutch forces in Antwerp against the besieging Spanish. Though using a less refined technology, the basic principle of the hellburner is similar to that of the car bomb.

Car bombs would start out with animals such as horses and cows, then it eventually emerged into a car.[4]

The first reported suicide car bombing (and possibly the first suicide bombing) was the Bath School bombings of 1927, where 45 people, including the bomber, were killed and half of a school was destroyed.

Mass-casualty car bombing, and especially suicide car bombing, is currently a predominantly Middle Eastern phenomenon. The tactic was first introduced to the region by the Zionist paramilitary organization Lehi, who used it extensively against Palestinian and British civilian and military targets; it was subsequently taken up by Palestinian militants as well.[5] The tactic was used in the Lebanese Civil War by the Shia militia group Hezbollah. A notable suicide car bombing was the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, when two simultaneous attacks killed 241 U.S. and 58 French peacekeepers. The perpetrator of these attacks has never been positively confirmed. In the Lebanese Civil War, an estimated 3,641 car bombs were detonated.[6]

While not an adaptation of a people-carrying vehicle, the WW2 German Goliath remote control mine, shares many parallels with a vehicle-based IED. It approached a target (often a tank or another armoured vehicle) at some speed, and then exploded, destroying itself and the target. It was armoured so that it could not be destroyed en route. However, it was not driven by a person, instead operated by remote control from a safe distance.

Prior to the 20th century, bombs planted in horse carts had been used in assassination plots, notably in the unsuccessful "machine infernale" attempt to kill Napoleon on 24 December 1800.

The first car bomb may have been the one used for the assassination attempt on Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II in 1905 in Istanbul by Armenian separatists in the command of Papken Siuni belonging to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.

Car bombing was a significant part of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) campaign during The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Dáithí Ó Conaill is credited with introducing the car bomb to Northern Ireland.[7] Car bombs were also used by Ulster loyalist groups (for example, by the UVF during the Dublin and Monaghan bombings).[8] [9] [10]

PIRA Chief of Staff Seán Mac Stíofáin defines the car bomb as both a tactical and a strategic guerrilla warfare weapon. Strategically, it disrupts the ability of the enemy government to administer the country, and hits simultaneously at the core of its economic structure by means of massive destruction. From a tactical point of view, it ties down a large number of security forces and troops around the main urban areas of the region in conflict.[11]

As a delivery system

Car bombs are effective weapons as they are an easy way to transport a large number of explosives to the intended target. A car bomb also produces copious shrapnel, or flying debris, and secondary damage to bystanders and buildings. In recent years, car bombs have become widely used by suicide bombers.[12] [13] [14]

Countermeasures

Defending against a car bomb involves keeping vehicles at a distance from vulnerable targets by using roadblocks and checkpoints, Jersey barriers, concrete blocks or bollards, metal barriers, or by hardening buildings to withstand an explosion. The entrance to Downing Street in London has been closed since 1991 in reaction to the Provisional Irish Republican Army campaign, preventing the general public from getting near Number 10. Where major public roads pass near buildings, road closures may be the only option (thus, for instance, in Washington, D.C. the portion of Pennsylvania Avenue immediately in front of the White House is closed to traffic). Historically these tactics have encouraged potential bombers to target "soft" or unprotected targets, such as markets.[15]

Suicide usage

In the Iraqi and Syrian Civil War, the car bomb concept was modified so that it could be driven and detonated by a driver but armoured to withstand incoming fire. The vehicle would be driven to its target area, in a similar fashion to a kamikaze plane of WW2. These were known by the acronym SVBIED (from Suicide Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device) or VBIEDs. This saw generally civilian cars with armour plating added, that would protect the car for as long as possible, so that it could reach its intended target. Cars were sometimes driven into enemy troop areas, or into incoming enemy columns. Most often, the SVBIEDs were used by ISIL against Government forces, but also used by Syrian rebels (FSA and allied militias, especially the Al-Nusra Front) against government troops.

The vehicles have become more sophisticated, with armour plating on the vehicle, protected vision slits, armour plating over the wheels so they would withstand being shot at, and also in some cases, additional metal grating over the front of the vehicle designed to crush or destroy shaped charges such as those used on rocket propelled grenades.[16]

In some cases, trucks were also used as well as cars. They were sometimes used to start an assault. Generally, the vehicles had a large space that would contain very heavy explosives. In some cases, animal drawn carts with improvised explosive devices have been used, generally either mules or horses.[17] Tactically, a single vehicle may be used, or an initial "breakthrough" vehicle, then followed by another vehicle.

While many car bombs are disguised as ordinary vehicles,[18] some that are used against military forces have improvised vehicle armour attached to prevent the driver from being shot when attacking a fortified outpost.[19]

Car bombs were also a very effective method for terrorists because car bombs are so cheap. Many deaths could occur with just one bomb, and it would only cost about $500 along with a stolen car. In war, money is an important thing for both sides, so this was a very effective method.[4]

Operation

Car bombs and detonators function in a diverse manner of ways and there are numerous variables in the operation and placement of the bomb within the vehicle. Earlier and less advanced car bombs were often wired to the car's ignition system, but this practice is now considered more laborious and less effective than other more recent methods, as it requires a greater amount of work for a system that can often be quite easily defused. While it is more common nowadays for car bombs to be fixed magnetically to the underside of the car, underneath the passenger or driver's seat, or inside of the mudguard, detonators triggered by the opening of the vehicle door or by pressure applied to the brakes or accelerating pedals are also used.[3]

Bombs operating by the former method of fixation to the underside of the car more often than not make use of a device called a tilt fuse. A small tube made of glass or plastic, the tilt fuse is similar in operation to a mercury switch or medical tablet tube. One end of the fuse will be filled with mercury, while the other open end is wired with the ends of an open circuit to an electrical firing system. When the tilt fuse moves or is jerked, the supply of mercury will flow to the top of the tube and close the circuit. Thus, as the vehicle goes through the regular bumping and dipping that comes with driving over a terrain, the circuit is completed, and the explosive is detonated.[3]

Car bombs are effective as booby traps because they also leave very little evidence. When an explosion happens, it is difficult for forensics to find any evidence because things either denigrate or become charred.[4]

As a safety mechanism to protect the bomber, the placer of the bomb may rig a timing device incorporated with the circuit to activate the circuit only after a certain time period, therefore ensuring the bomber will not accidentally activate the bomb before they are able to get clear of the blast radius.

Even though right now car bombs are supposed to be stealth weapons that cause a good deal of damage, it is feared that they can become bigger, more lethal weapons such as the size of a trailer, making huge explosions and causing plenty of damage.[4]

Examples

See main article: List of mass car bombings.

20th century

21st century

Groups that use car bombs

West Asia

Americas

Europe

South Asia

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: . Jha . Rajshekhar . 17 February 2019 . Why car bombs are worrying our forces . The Economic Times .
  2. Web site: The Oklahoma City Bombing 20 Years Later . Federal Bureau of Investigation . 30 September 2023.
  3. Book: Wilkinson, Paul. Technology and terrorism. Christop Harman. Routledge. 1993. 0-7146-4552-4.
  4. Book: 10.1525/9780520949454-011 . The First Car Bomb . Transforming Terror . 2019 . Davis . Mike . 32–33 . 978-0-520-94945-4 .
  5. Book: Davis . Mike . Oranges for Jaffa . https://books.google.com/books?id=AT9bCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT29 . Buda's Wagon: A Brief History of the Car Bomb . 2017 . Verso Books . 978-1-78478-665-6 .
  6. Web site: The Atlas Group and Walid Raad - Cornerhouse . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071229221418/http://www.cornerhouse.org/books/info.aspx?ID=1835&page=0 . 29 December 2007 . 12 December 2016.
  7. Web site: January 2004 . 1973 files reveal senior general's talks with IRA leader . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180730021256/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2004/jan/01/uk.northernireland . 30 July 2018 . 29 July 2018 . TheGuardian.com.
  8. Web site: The Lewiston Daily Sun - Google News Archive Search . news.google.com.
  9. Web site: CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1969 . cain.ulster.ac.uk.
  10. Web site: February 2014 . Come Here To Me!.
  11. Book: McStiofáin, Seán . Revolutionary in Ireland . G. Cremonesi . 1975 . 243.
  12. Web site: 2015: an epidemic of suicide bombs AOAV. AOAV. Action on Armed Violence. 10 August 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170921195327/http://aoav.org.uk/2015/2015-an-epidemic-of-suicide-bombs/. 21 September 2017.
  13. News: Holly. Williams. Reports of suicide car bombs, possible exposure to chemical weapons in Mosul fight. CBS News. March 5, 2017. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170707025849/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/suicide-car-bombs-and-reports-of-possible-exposure-to-chemical-weapons-in-battle-for-mosul/. July 7, 2017.
  14. Web site: David. Enders. Car Bombs Have Become the Islamic State's Assault 'Weapon of Choice' VICE News. VICE News. 23 June 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170921193829/https://news.vice.com/article/car-bombs-have-become-the-islamic-states-assault-weapon-of-choice. 2017-09-21.
  15. See Davis.
  16. Trends Institution "Daeshis-armored-vehicle-borne IED" Web site: Daesh/IS Armored Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (AVBIEDs): Insurgent Use and Terrorism Potentials | TRENDS . 2016-10-29 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161030002622/http://trendsinstitution.org/daeshis-armored-vehicle-borne-improvised-explosive-devices-avbieds-insurgent-use-and-terrorism-potentials/ . 2016-10-30 .
  17. News: Barron . James . After 1920 Blast, The Opposite Of 'Never Forget'; No Memorials on Wall St. For Attack That Killed 30 . 29 September 2023 . The New York Times . 17 September 2003.
  18. Book: Olson, Dean . Tactical Counterterrorism the Law Enforcement Manual of Terrorism Prevention . Charles C Thomas . Springfield . 2012 . 9780398087234 . p.166
  19. Web site: Take a look inside an armoured Islamic State car bomb. ABC News. 2 December 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20151203094445/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-03/take-a-look-inside-a-car-bomb-made-by-islamic-state-militants/6997112. 2015-12-03.
  20. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/297183.stm Car bomb kills Northern Ireland lawyer
  21. Book: Taylor, Peter. Peter Taylor (Journalist). Loyalists. Bloomsbury Publishing. 1999. 125–126. 0-7475-4519-7.
  22. Lettieri. Mike. Posada Carriles, Bush's Child of Scorn. Washington Report on the Hemisphere. 1 June 2007. 27. 7/8.
  23. News: Bergmen . Ronan . How Arafat Eluded Israel's Assassination Machine . The New York Times . 23 January 2018 . New York Times Magazine.
  24. News: Kifner . John . BOMB AT P.L.O. OFFICE KILLS AT LEAST 50 . The New York Times . New York Times . October 2, 1981.
  25. Web site: elmundo.es | Especial ETA: la dictadura del terror. https://web.archive.org/web/20090817150624/http://www.elmundo.es/eta/atentados/index.html. live. August 17, 2009. www.elmundo.es.
  26. Book: Davis . Mike . Car-Bomb University . https://books.google.com/books?id=WG7nDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT74 . Buda's Wagon: A Brief History of the Car Bomb . 2017 . Verso Books . 978-1-78478-664-9 .
  27. Web site: Kordic and Cerkez - Judgement - Part three: IV. 2020-10-13. www.icty.org.
  28. News: Sweden suicide bomber: Taimur Abdulwahab al-Abdaly was living in Britain. Gardham. Duncan. Oscarsson, Marcus . Hutchison, Peter. 12 December 2010. The Daily Telegraph. 12 December 2010. London. https://web.archive.org/web/20110121205611/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8198043/Sweden-suicide-bomber-Taimur-Abdulwahab-al-Abdaly-was-living-in-Britain.html. 21 January 2011 . live.
  29. Web site: HAQQANI NETWORK . 2023-09-18 . www.dni.gov.
  30. Web site: 2013-11-13 . 'Block-Buster' Truck Bomb One of the Biggest Ever . 2023-09-18 . ABC News . en.
  31. Kemper . Bart . January 2019 . Blast Modeling for Facility Security Management . ISEE 45th Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Techniques . 6.
  32. News: Daphne Caruana Galizia killed in Bidnija car blast. Times of Malta. 16 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171016160502/https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20171016/local/car-goes-up-in-flames-in-bidnija.660575. 16 October 2017. dead.
  33. News: Liverpool explosion: Three arrested under Terrorism Act after car blast at hospital . BBC News . 15 November 2021 .
  34. News: Daughter of 'Putin's Rasputin' Alexander Dugin killed in mystery Moscow car bomb . The Telegraph . 21 August 2022 . Kilner . James .
  35. News: Roth . Andrew . Farrer . Martin . 2022-08-21 . Daughter of Putin ally Alexander Dugin killed by car bomb in Moscow . 2024-07-30 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  36. Web site: Russia uses explosive-equipped armored vehicles to blow up Ukrainian positions . Militarnyi . 3 September 2023.
  37. Web site: Axe . David . The Russians Packed A Robotic T-55 Tank With Explosives And Rolled It Toward Ukrainian Lines . Forbes . 3 September 2023 . en.
  38. Web site: Newdick . Thomas . Ancient Russian T-54 Tank Turned Into Rolling Bomb Explodes In Massive Shockwave . The Drive . 3 September 2023 . en . 19 June 2023.
  39. News: Baker . Sinéad . Ukraine hit Russia with one of its own prized tactics — turning an old, captured tank into a giant rolling bomb . 15 September 2023 . Business Insider.
  40. News: Baker . Sinéad . The guy who drove a rolling tank bomb at Russian soldiers jammed the accelerator down before jumping out of a hatch, Ukraine says . 15 September 2023 . Business Insider.
  41. News: 15 July 2024. A shooting range, a gun store, and a ladder purchase: Tracking the Trump rally gunman's movements leading up to his attack. CNN. 16 July 2024.
  42. News: Explosive reading. Financial Times. Daniel Swift. 4 May 2007. Review of: Buda’s Wagon: A Brief History of the Car Bomb. 6 May 2010.
  43. News: Ellingwood. Ken. Mexico arrests man alleged to have directed fatal Juarez car bomb attack. 6 May 2012. Los Angeles Times. 21 October 2010. live. http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20120508033707/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/21/world/la-fg-mexico-carbomb-20101022. 8 May 2012.
  44. News: Car bomb explosion followed by shootout in Nuevo Laredo. 6 May 2012. KGBT-TV. 24 April 2012. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20120426224747/http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=745672#.T6XAxJ9YvDE. 26 April 2012.
  45. News: Reafirma El Chapo presencia en Tamaulipas con coche bomba. 6 May 2012. Blog del Narco. 24 April 2012. es. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20120427212401/http://www.blogdelnarco.com/2012/04/reafirma-el-chapo-presencia-en-tamulipas-con-coche-bomba/. 27 April 2012.
  46. News: Suman 23 ejecutados en Nuevo Laredo, entre decapitados y colgados. 6 May 2012. Proceso. 4 May 2012. es. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20120507040149/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=306356. 7 May 2012.
  47. News: 200lb of explosives in Derry car bomb. BBC News. 3 August 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100822161330/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-10853360. 2010-08-22.
  48. Web site: 2023-07-26 . SBU claims responsibility for 2022 Crimean Bridge attack . 2023-08-02 . Yahoo News . en-US.
  49. Web site: 1992-07-21 . DI STRAGE IN STRAGE - la Repubblica.it . 2024-03-29 . Archivio - la Repubblica.it . it.