Major bomb scare in NYC

[aukevin]

Re: Major bomb scare in NYC

This guy is going to be the Laughing stock of all terrorists, the only people that are more pathetic than him are the dudes who blow themselves up putting on a Suicide Vest.

Even if this thing did blow up, it probably would not have killed anyone. It would basically be a slow chain reaction, the Fireworks were supposed to Ignite the Gas, the Gas would ignite the Propane Tanks, and that would create a explosion in conjunction with the Fertilizer. It sounds like a good Car Bomb but it would never create the kind of explosion needed to kill multiple people.

yeah from what all I've read it would have just been a fireball. Some shrapnel might have shot out and injured some people, but it is unlikely it would have been devastating. Still, it is a scary thing. If an idiot could get this close to causing a fireball, imagine what a person with actual skills could do.

[ScoobySnax]

Re: Major bomb scare in NYC

It would have probably been a nice sized fireball, but not really a destructive explosion. Gasoline won't even burn unless it's vaporized, and it won't explode unless those vapors are compressed in the correct gasoline oxygen mixture. Propane cylinders would be hard to get to explode as well, they are engineered with release valves and such to greatly reduce the chance of explosion.

Not knowing how the thing was set up, the "fireworks" are the unknown quantity in this, I'd guess the cans would be set up to leak and set the car on fire, worst case at that point would be the release valve on the cylinders opening (or fireworks set to blow the valves off) and they become a projectile. The black metal box could have been the real purpose of all this though, fill it with black powder or anfo, use the fire to ignite and boom.

I guess there's a reason they call you "Burns"?

[Knight165]

Re: Major bomb scare in NYC

This guy is going to be the Laughing stock of all terrorists, the only people that are more pathetic than him are the dudes who blow themselves up putting on a Suicide Vest.

Even if this thing did blow up, it probably would not have killed anyone. It would basically be a slow chain reaction, the Fireworks were supposed to Ignite the Gas, the Gas would ignite the Propane Tanks, and that would create a explosion in conjunction with the Fertilizer. It sounds like a good Car Bomb but it would never create the kind of explosion needed to kill multiple people.

While this thing was amateur hour....it definitely could have done some serious damage and certainly could have killed people.
10 gallons of fuel and 60 pounds of LPG?! That's a whole lot of boom...not to mention the bags(don't know if it was indeed processed fertilizer, I'm hearing conflicting reports.)

To dismiss this...is foolish IMO.
But hey...that's what they are counting on.

M.K.
Knight165

[fishepa]

Re: Major bomb scare in NYC

I just saw that he was born in Pakistan and his name is Faisal Shahzad.

[ScoobySnax]

Re: Major bomb scare in NYC

Seriously though, what could be done to put an end to this kind of stuff? When foreigners come to the states, do they simply "mask" their intentions in order to get in? I'm really sick of hearing about these attacks.

[fishepa]

Re: Major bomb scare in NYC

Seriously though, what could be done to put an end to this kind of stuff? When foreigners come to the states, do they simply "mask" their intentions in order to get in? I'm really sick of hearing about these attacks.

Nothing can be done. You can't hurt their feelings by asking them questions about why they are here in the US. Hurting people's feelings is just about illegal in the US.

[SPTO]

Re: Major bomb scare in NYC

Seriously though, what could be done to put an end to this kind of stuff? When foreigners come to the states, do they simply "mask" their intentions in order to get in? I'm really sick of hearing about these attacks.

Well first off, I don't think it was fully a "terrorist" action a la Al Qaeda or terrorist groups. I heard that this guy's house is up for foreclosure and such so there's probably more of a "my life sucks and I can't do anything about it. I might as well go out in a blaze of glory" type of thinking. I could be totally wrong though.

Nothing can be done. You can't hurt their feelings by asking them questions about why they are here in the US. Hurting people's feelings is just about illegal in the US.

A nation should not fear hurting the feelings of those who enter the country. I don't know what exactly can be done so I agree with you that there's probably nothing reasonable that can avert terrorist plots. The only things I can think of that would help kinda scare me because they're the kind of things that a non democratic society would do. Things like keeping an eye on people of Middle Eastern descent through means of surveilence or relying on the public to put tabs on these people are the opposite of the freedom America is all about. I also don't think badgering these people and questioning them at every turn is very helpful and would have the unintended consequence of fostering more hatred.

It's the epitome of the damned if you do damned if you don't conundrum. The only practical solution I suppose would be close off immigration of Middle Eastern people or make it based on certain qualifications. Some would call that racism but to quote Barry Goldwater "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice."

[Cebby]

Re: Major bomb scare in NYC

Well first off, I don't think it was fully a "terrorist" action a la Al Qaeda or terrorist groups. I heard that this guy's house is up for foreclosure and such so there's probably more of a "my life sucks and I can't do anything about it. I might as well go out in a blaze of glory" type of thinking. I could be totally wrong though.

How does lighting a van on car and leaving the country constitute "going out in a blaze of glory"?

That's like saying a guy who tries to rob Fort Knox with a fake gun (with the orange tip) isn't a criminal.

He's a criminal and this guy is a terrorist; this guy is just a K Mart bootleg terrorist.

[Jackdog]

Re: Major bomb scare in NYC

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100504/ap_on_re_us/us_times_square_car_bomb

"Based on what we know so far, it is clear that this was a terrorist plot aimed at murdering Americans in one of the busiest places in our country," he added.

In Pakistan, intelligence officials said at least one man has been detained in the southern city of Karachi in connection with the Times Square case: a man named Tauseef who was a friend of Shahzad. He did not say when the man was picked up.

Another Pakistani official said several people had been taken into custody since the failed attack. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of their work.

[Skerik]

Re: Major bomb scare in NYC

Well first off, I don't think it was fully a "terrorist" action a la Al Qaeda or terrorist groups. I heard that this guy's house is up for foreclosure and such so there's probably more of a "my life sucks and I can't do anything about it. I might as well go out in a blaze of glory" type of thinking. I could be totally wrong though.

Considering eight people have already been arrested in Pakistan in connection with the attack, in addition to the fact that Faisal Shahzad is being handled by the High-Value Interrogation Group....I'm guessing you're totally wrong.

Almost ten years later and we're still trying to define the word "terrorism." Says a lot, doesn't it? Here, I'll speak in plain English: Shahzad (and others, apparently) planned an attack. That attack's plan was to affect terror. Ergo, that is terrorism.

I also can't believe this dude was arrested on a plane. We're conducting a massive manhunt for him, we know who he is, and he manages to flash his passport, buy a ticket, and board a plane? Nobody thought of maybe flagging the guy's passport? Yeah, I feel totally secure. The only reason we barely caught this guy was because he was stupid enough to use his own email address to set up the Craigslist purchase of the vehicle used in the attack. If this guy were a pro, he's gone - right through our fingers.

Whatever the system is, it's not working very well.

[CMH]

Re: Major bomb scare in NYC

I also can't believe this dude was arrested on a plane. We're conducting a massive manhunt for him, we know who he is, and he manages to flash his passport, buy a ticket, and board a plane? Nobody thought of maybe flagging the guy's passport? Yeah, I feel totally secure. The only reason we barely caught this guy was because he was stupid enough to use his own email address to set up the Craigslist purchase of the vehicle used in the attack. If this guy were a pro, he's gone - right through our fingers.

Whatever the system is, it's not working very well.

He was flagged by the FBI, but someone in TSA was probably fired this morning.

[Cusefan]

Re: Major bomb scare in NYC

While this thing was amateur hour....it definitely could have done some serious damage and certainly could have killed people.
10 gallons of fuel and 60 pounds of LPG?! That's a whole lot of boom...not to mention the bags(don't know if it was indeed processed fertilizer, I'm hearing conflicting reports.)

To dismiss this...is foolish IMO.
But hey...that's what they are counting on.

M.K.
Knight165

I can say that the way he set up this car Bomb, It would not have created the Explosion he was hoping for. Judging by the information Released, the VBIED would not have caused mass casualties for one simple reason, it would not have been an immediate explosion. 10 Gallons of Gas will not create a Bomb in and of itself. The Propane Tanks would not have exploded immediately or at all, new ones have safety features that prevent the Flame from going into the Tank and creating an explosion.

Basically this is how it would have played: The Fireworks Go off and Ignite the Gas Tanks creating a mini explosion inside the car. People May or May not get injured by this but no one will die. Since there are a massive amount of Cops in Time Sq. they would have secured the scene getting everyone away by the time any real explosion happens.

Personally speaking, I could have made a much better bomb and ignited it at the Airport via a Cell phone.

[Speedy]

Re: Major bomb scare in NYC

I jumped on a train at 6 pm heading to 42nd St just a block away from where this car was discovered. Normally, I would have reached my destination in 30 minutes, but it took an hour and a half. I didn't get there until 7:30 and I was frustrated because I was now 30 minutes late to something I should have been 30 minutes early to. The conductors on the train would only say: "We're experiencing delays, please be patient."

I was patient but you can only be patient for so long. I mean, an hour and a half for a thirty minute trip? It's frustrating.

But, now I'm sure I understand why.

There's a reason for everything, YP. There was a couple of preacher friends of mine that were going to have breakfast @ one of the restaurants in the World Trade Center towers on 9/11 but one of the preacher's wives got violently sick the night before, so much that they had to cancel it.

[IndianBird]

Re: Major bomb scare in NYC

I can say that the way he set up this car Bomb, It would not have created the Explosion he was hoping for. Judging by the information Released, the VBIED would not have caused mass casualties for one simple reason, it would not have been an immediate explosion. 10 Gallons of Gas will not create a Bomb in and of itself. The Propane Tanks would not have exploded immediately or at all, new ones have safety features that prevent the Flame from going into the Tank and creating an explosion.

Basically this is how it would have played: The Fireworks Go off and Ignite the Gas Tanks creating a mini explosion inside the car. People May or May not get injured by this but no one will die. Since there are a massive amount of Cops in Time Sq. they would have secured the scene getting everyone away by the time any real explosion happens.

Personally speaking, I could have made a much better bomb and ignited it at the Airport via a Cell phone.

his amateurism makes it no less of a terror attack

[Jdurg]

Re: Major bomb scare in NYC

I can say that the way he set up this car Bomb, It would not have created the Explosion he was hoping for. Judging by the information Released, the VBIED would not have caused mass casualties for one simple reason, it would not have been an immediate explosion. 10 Gallons of Gas will not create a Bomb in and of itself. The Propane Tanks would not have exploded immediately or at all, new ones have safety features that prevent the Flame from going into the Tank and creating an explosion.

Basically this is how it would have played: The Fireworks Go off and Ignite the Gas Tanks creating a mini explosion inside the car. People May or May not get injured by this but no one will die. Since there are a massive amount of Cops in Time Sq. they would have secured the scene getting everyone away by the time any real explosion happens.

Personally speaking, I could have made a much better bomb and ignited it at the Airport via a Cell phone.

While I agree that this wouldn't have been a massive Oklahoma City type explosion, you can't forego the fact that this douchebag probably altered these propane tanks so that the safety features would no longer work. Still, it would have taken quite a bit of time for the pressure in the tanks to build up just from the heat of the gasoline burning.