Insurgents shift to smaller devices as security tightens

New York Times Nov 14, 08 6:00 AM CST
(Newser)
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Small explosives dubbed "sticky IEDs" are contributing to a growing feeling of unease in Baghdad, the New York Times reports. The fist-sized bombs attached to magnets or adhesives are hard to detect, easy for a furtive bomber to put in place and have become the weapon of choice for militants thwarted by tighter security in their efforts to plant bigger bombs.
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Triple explosion leaves dozens injured in Muslim south

BBC Nov 4, 08 5:47 AM CST
(Newser)
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Three separate bomb blasts injured more than 60 people in a Muslim region in south Thailand, reports the BBC. The explosions took place near a government office and a tea shop, appearing to target a meeting of local officials. Police accused separatist insurgents, who have targeted the area for years but have rarely undertaken an attack of this size. "There are still no reports of any deaths because police cut off all mobile phone signals at the scene of the attack," one cop on the scene told AFP.
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Insurgents load potential shelters with explosives

Wall Street Journal Oct 8, 08 7:41 PM CDT
(Newser)
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For US troops in Iraq’s still-volatile Diyala province, abandoned houses can be a refuge—or a serious threat, the Wall Street Journal reports. Soldiers depend on abandoned houses to provide shelter as combat bases, but insurgents have taken to wiring the buildings with “house-borne improvised explosive devices,” killing a dozen soldiers since 2007.
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Nearly 300 wounded in Marriott blast

Reuters Sep 21, 08 7:17 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Pakistani intelligence authorities have blamed al-Qaeda for a massive bomb attack that has so far claimed 53 lives, Reuters reports. The truck bomb slammed into an Islamabad Marriott yesterday, turning the busy hotel into an inferno of flame. The Czech ambassador to Pakistan, and an American and German national were among those killed. Nearly 300 people were wounded. "The sophistication of the blast shows it's the work of al-Qaeda," said an official.
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Explosion kills soldiers, civilians; dozens more wounded

Times (UK) Aug 13, 08 4:49 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A bomb that exploded on a bus in Lebanon's second-largest city killed at least 18 people and wounded 40. At least seven of the dead were soldiers, reports the Times of London. The attack took place in the port town of Tripoli, where a sect of Shiites associated with the Syrian president has clashed with the local Sunni population.
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New violence from Muslim separatists rocks Xinjiang province

Reuters Aug 10, 08 5:58 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Eight people were killed today in a dozen suicide bomb attacks on government buildings by Muslim separatists in China's restive western Xinjiang province, Reuters reports. The homemade grenade attacks and police shootout rocked the small village of Kuga, some 2,000 miles from Beijing, at dawn. Almost all of the victims were believed to be bombers.
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UC Santa Cruz biologist speaks out after weekend firebombing of home

San Jose Mercury News Aug 4, 08 4:43 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A university researcher says he fears for his family’s safety after a weekend firebomb attack, the San Jose Mercury News reports. David Feldheim, who does neuroscience research on mice at the University of California Santa Cruz, was slightly injured. He said he expects a continuining threat from animal-rights activists—one of whom called the incident a “necessary” act.
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Thousands of unexploded bombs still buried in city

Associated Press Jul 29, 08 8:01 AM CDT
(AP)
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Some 16,000 people were evacuated yesterday in Budapest after construction workers unearthed a huge unexploded bomb from World War II. The 2-ton explosive, being disarmed today by experts, is one of the largest found in the city since 1945. Thousands of unexploded bombs are believed to be buried in the area, which was heavily bombed by US and Russian forces. Close to 10,000 people were evacuated last week after a smaller bomb was discovered.
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Bombs in tourist towns mark Basque group's summer awakening

Daily Telegraph (UK) Jul 21, 08 9:48 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The Basque separatist group ETA detonated five bombs in northern Spain yesterday in a coordinated attack, the Telegraph reports, though only one injury was reported. Four bombs went off in tourist resorts; a fifth targeted a bank near Bilbao. The explosions marked the traditional summer bombing campaign ETA has waged in an attempt to disrupt Spanish tourism.
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Rocket-bomb attacks can kill dozens at a time

Washington Post Jul 10, 08 9:18 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Shiite insurgents in Iraq have been attacking US forces with a new weapon the military fears could kill dozens of troops at a time, reports the Washington Post . Rocket-propelled bombs, made of propane tanks packed with hundreds of pounds of explosives, have killed at least 21 people this year, including three US troops—and are being used with increasing frequency.
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Explosives planned for Bogota: authorities

Reuters Jul 6, 08 8:53 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The Colombian army seized nearly a ton of explosives near Bogota, foiling a bomb plot by the rebel group known as FARC, according to authorities. Military officials suspect a series of bomb attacks were planned across the capital in the next few days in retaliation for the recent high-profile rescue of 15 hostages, including Ingrid Betancourt, Reuters reports.
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Radicals took advantage of mentally ill Islamic convert: cops

Guardian (UK) May 23, 08 3:47 AM CDT
(Newser)
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British police believe a mentally ill man who tried to blow himself up in a restaurant yesterday was taken advantage of by Islamic extremists, the Guardian reports. The recent convert to Islam walked into a busy restaurant in the West Country city of Exeter and exploded a device. The only person hurt was the bomber, who suffered serious facial injuries. The bomb and another found nearby had the capacity to cause serious harm.
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City locked down to prevent Hindu/Muslim clashes

Associated Press May 14, 08 7:10 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Police have locked down the old city of Jaipur today after seven bomb blasts killed at least 80 people yesterday, the AP reports. Police in the western Indian city suspect Islamic terrorists were behind the carnage and have imposed the curfew to prevent any retaliatory violence from the city's Hindu majority against its large Muslim population.
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FBI probing possible serial link to earlier blast

ABC News May 5, 08 4:39 AM CDT
(Newser)
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In what could be the work of a serial bomber, a multi-pipe bomb exploded yesterday at a San Diego courthouse, shattering its door and blasting shrapnel across the street, ABC News reports. No one was hurt in the predawn explosion. The FBI is investigating the incident, which follows a similar bombing in the city last month that destroyed the door of a Federal Express building. No one has claimed responsibility for yesterday's attack, and no threats were received.
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