Doubt Cast on Alleged Terrorist Plot

[tonyw]

Now can I have my toothpaste, hair gel, and coffee back? Can women get their makeup back?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08...t_terror_labs/

We're told that the suspects were planning to use TATP, or triacetone triperoxide, a high explosive that supposedly can be made from common household chemicals unlikely to be caught by airport screeners. A little hair dye, drain cleaner, and paint thinner - all easily concealed in drinks bottles - and the forces of evil have effectively smuggled a deadly bomb onboard your plane.

Or at least that's what we're hearing, and loudly, through the mainstream media and its legions of so-called "terrorism experts." But what do these experts know about chemistry? Less than they know about lobbying for Homeland Security pork, which is what most of them do for a living. But they've seen the same movies that you and I have seen, and so the myth of binary liquid explosives dies hard.

Making a quantity of TATP sufficient to bring down an airplane is not quite as simple as ducking into the toilet and mixing two harmless liquids together.

First, you've got to get adequately concentrated hydrogen peroxide. This is hard to come by, so a large quantity of the three per cent solution sold in pharmacies might have to be concentrated by boiling off the water. Only this is risky, and can lead to mission failure by means of burning down your makeshift lab before a single infidel has been harmed.

But let's assume that you can obtain it in the required concentration, or cook it from a dilute solution without ruining your operation. Fine. The remaining ingredients, acetone and sulfuric acid, are far easier to obtain, and we can assume that you've got them on hand.

Now for the fun part. Take your hydrogen peroxide, acetone, and sulfuric acid, measure them very carefully, and put them into drinks bottles for convenient smuggling onto a plane. It's all right to mix the peroxide and acetone in one container, so long as it remains cool. Don't forget to bring several frozen gel-packs (preferably in a Styrofoam chiller deceptively marked "perishable foods"), a thermometer, a large beaker, a stirring rod, and a medicine dropper. You're going to need them.

It's best to fly first class and order Champagne. The bucket full of ice water, which the airline ought to supply, might possibly be adequate - especially if you have those cold gel-packs handy to supplement the ice, and the Styrofoam chiller handy for insulation - to get you through the cookery without starting a fire in the lavvie.

Give me my coffee back and give the ladies their makeup back. It's pretty clear from this that the alleged plot is not something that's feasible.

[surreal1221]

I hope that if you have the option to vote in November that you actually do.

That is the only way to get past the politics of fear.

[FlyWhiteSox]

Who are we voting for?

[Doug Taylor]

Alfonso Ribiero. That boy can sing.

[meritflyer]

You watch him tonite too?

[Doug Taylor]

Nope!

A trip by Fry's on 17 looking for a camcorder, a dinner at Arriba's at 101/FLW for dinner and a couple of wines at Uncorked on SDL RD/FLW for dessert!

Been to Uncorked yet? Pure effing nirvana.

[Maximillian_Jenius]

Originally Posted by Doug Taylor

Alfonso Ribiero. That boy can sing.

I think that he is one of us...

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by Maximillian_Jenius

I think that he is one of us...

....a pilot?

[aloft]

Originally Posted by surreal1221

That is the only way to get past the politics of fear.

It's refreshing to know that at least SOMEBODY understands why the little homeland security color system will never again go to green.

[averyrm]

Ah, I think you mean "Oscar"

[Captain_Bob]

Originally Posted by Doug Taylor

A trip by Fry's on 17 looking for a camcorder...

Let me know what you end up with... I'm, ummm... in the market for one again!

Bob

[kellwolf]

triacetone triperoxide, a high explosive that supposedly can be made from common household chemicals unlikely to be caught by airport screeners. A little hair dye, drain cleaner, and paint thinner - all easily concealed in drinks bottles - and the forces of evil have effectively smuggled a deadly bomb onboard your plane.

I thought TSA wasn't screening for liquid explosives b/c the material was hard to get? Hmmm.....

[Texasspilot]

Originally Posted by tonyw

Now can I have my toothpaste, hair gel, and coffee back? Can women get their makeup back?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08...t_terror_labs/


[/i][i]First, you've got to get adequately concentrated hydrogen peroxide. This is hard to come by, so a large quantity of the three per cent solution sold in pharmacies might have to be concentrated by boiling off the water. Only this is risky, and can lead to mission failure by means of burning down your makeshift lab before a single infidel has been harmed.
[i]
Now for the fun part. Take your hydrogen peroxide, acetone, and sulfuric acid, measure them very carefully, and put them into drinks bottles for convenient smuggling onto a plane. It's all right to mix the peroxide and acetone in one container, so long as it remains cool. .

So there saying terrorists aren't smart enough to boil water?

And if you don't mix the two before hand then you don't need a cooler full of ice packs?

Also why would you need a beaker and a glass stirring rod?

I understand what they're tryin to do here but its a pretty thin attempt.

[averyrm]

The funny part is they're saying things are "risky" to do. These guys were planning on BLOWING THEMSELVES UP. I think they have a different risk analysis than most.

[TXaviator]

Originally Posted by surreal1221

I hope that if you have the option to vote in November that you actually do.

That is the only way to get past the politics of fear.

quoted for truth.

[tonyw]

Originally Posted by Texasspilot

So there saying terrorists aren't smart enough to boil water?

And if you don't mix the two before hand then you don't need a cooler full of ice packs?

Also why would you need a beaker and a glass stirring rod?

I understand what they're tryin to do here but its a pretty thin attempt.

You don't get it, do you?

The chemistry isn't something that you can do in a lav. Yeah, I probably could do it in a college chemistry lab without too much trouble, but that's a place that has bunsen burners and stirrers and purified hydrogen peroxide and so on.

Remember, the claim was that they were just going to mix these things together on the airplane and that's why we all had to leave our coffee behind.

Well, it appears that's BS.

You're right, they could have mixed it before they went to the airport, but that wasn't what was alleged.

And once again, if Michael Jerkoff and Crap Hawley had done something other than sticking one thumb up their butt and one thumb in their mouth and playing switch, we'd have explosive detection systems in place at airports, which would prevent terrorists from smuggling explosives on board.

We'd get our coffee back, women would get their makeup back, and we'd be able to keep our shoes on. And we'd EFFECTIVELY screen for explosives.