The bad guys continue to innovate and find ways to work around the expectations of the experts. Complacency is a sin.
Two British suicide bombers who attacked a Tel Aviv bar last week smuggled plastic explosives into Israel from Jordan inside copies of the Koran, Israel's defence minister said last night. Israeli officials investigating how Asif Mohammed Hanif and Omar Khan Sharif were able to penetrate tight border controls suggested that they could have used a new kind of explosive that is more difficult to detect.
The prospect of a new explosive in the hands of terrorists raises worrying questions for airline security around the world. Western intelligence officials will be seeking confirmation that the claim is not an attempt by Israeli security to cover up an embarrassing lapse. Israeli newspapers have dropped hints about the use of "an unfamiliar substance" in the attack on Mike's Place seafront bar, in which three Israelis were killed. Military censors have prevented publication of more details.
Posted by Alan at May 4, 2003 11:12 PM