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Al-Qaeda's New Security Threat: Bombs Inside Bombers
Recent Saudi assassination attempt used security-proof technique
By Nick McMaster
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Posted Sep 30, 09 5:10 PM CDT
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(Newser)
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Al-Qaeda debuted a new suicide bomb technique in an attempt on the life of Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef this month—one that could raise serious concerns about airport security. The bomber convinced Nayef that he wished to surrender and provide intelligence on his former comrades. Though he was searched thoroughly, security agents found nothing—because, in a trick adapted from drug smuggling, the bomber had a pound of explosives and a detonator inside his rectum, reports CBS News.
The bomb likely detonated with a text message from an outside agent. Physical limitations mean the explosion from a bomb inside a body cavity will be smaller than from a vest—hence the failure to kill Nayaf—but aboard a plane in-flight, the results would be devastating. Al-Qaeda plans to share the technique on the Internet, and there's no way to fight it “other than to require people to strip naked at the airport,” says an aviation security expert.