Carel W'E' van Eijk

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LIQUID BOMBS on AIRCRAFT feasibility - risk
assessment - efficacy


Carel W.E. van Eijk
ALDE public hearing 2 May 2007 European
Parliament, Brussels
c.w.e.vaneijk_at_tudelft.nl
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LIQUID BOMBS on AIRCRAFT
Important dates for security
Liquid explosives problem
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LIQUID BOMBS on AIRCRAFT
Why new regulations?
Plot discovered in the Philippines in 1995 to
bring down 11 airliners bound for the US using
liquid explosives. A test was done in a plane
bound for Tokyo on Dec 11, 1994 (PAL 434),
killing one and wounding ten passengers. The
pilots made a successful emergency landing.
Increased threat !?
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Some liquid explosives
Nitroglycerine (Westerns!)

• used in PAL 434

• Nitromethane
• 95 nitromethane 5 etylene diamine
• (PLX, Picatinny Liquid Explosive)
• nitromethane used as fuel for model
• aeroplane engines!

• 0.7 l PLX 350 g solid C-4 (RDX) used to down
  KAL 858

Nitroethane analogous to nitromethane
Methyl Nitrate ... explodes when mixed

• used in anti-personnel landmines

• Astrolites
• ammonium nitrate mixed with anhydrous hydrazine

• very strong explosive 100 g may suffice to
  down a plane
• (500 g Semtex was used to down Pan-Am flight
  103 that
• crashed near Lockerby in 1988)

• Peroxide based explosives
• triacetone triperoxide (TATP)
• hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD)
• TATP is made from hydrogen peroxide
• and acetone!

• TATP detonators made by Ramzi Yousef in the 1995
• Philippines plot
• HMTD, nitroglycerine and other explosives to be
  used
• in LA Int Airport millemium bombing plot
  (2000)
• TATP to be used as detonator by shoe bomber
  Richard
• Reid, AA flight on Dec 22, 2001
• TATP used as suicide bombs by Palestinians
• TATP ammonium nitrate used in suicide bombs in
  
• Casablanca on May 16, 2003
• peroxide-based explosives used in London subway
• attack on July 7, 2005
• TATP to be used in recent transatlantic aircraft
  plot

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LIQUID BOMBS on AIRCRAFT
Some Liquid Explosives easily made

• Transport of components
• by different people
• in separate containers
• assemble explosive in plane

• Transport in
• cosmetics containers
• beverage bottles
• duty-free alcohol bottles

Terrorists become smarter
Liquid Explosives hard to detect
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LIQUID BOMBS on AIRCRAFT
Liquid explosives / threat material identification
3. Passenger scanning incl. terahertz technology
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LIQUID BOMBS on AIRCRAFT
Liquid explosives / threat material identification

• Observe characteristic
• elements nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, hydrogen
  
• isotopes 137Cs, 60Co, U, Pu
• molecules e.g. hydrogen peroxide

Do it fast 10 s
Do it efficient No false negatives No
false positives
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LIQUID BOMBS on AIRCRAFT
Liquid explosives / threat material identification
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LIQUID BOMBS on AIRCRAFT
None of the present methods can do the job
Integration of different methods!
Novel sensors and techniques Need to be
developed!