Who Needs The Anarchist’s Cookbook

…when you have the NYT giving you pointers on how to make explosives

Making TATP typically requires meticulous, time-consuming work, adding the catalyst, drop by drop, to a mixture that must be stirred and kept cool, often with a large quantity of ice.

Without specialized equipment, little can be rushed. Adding the catalyst too quickly can lead to aggressive bubbling and rising temperatures. If the reaction gets too hot, it can cause inadvertent explosions.

Even after TATP precursors are acquired, its manufacture can attract attention, because some of the chemicals often involved can generate strong odors.

Drying TATP at room temperature, a last step after rinsing and filtering, also requires a fairly large area, another American official said, unless a vacuum drying chamber is involved. At that point, the TATP would be stored in a relatively airtight container, but if pure, it could not be stored long. After a few weeks, it would be much less powerful.

The intelligence on the explosives suggested that the attack could have been more lethal, the first official said, because two improvised explosive devices constructed with TATP, ammonium nitrate, and a mix of metal bolts and nails were found in suitcases, undetonated, at the airport. A suicide belt was also recovered at the airport, and two more suitcases with bombs were later confiscated during a sweep of a residence used by the suspects.

…The officials noted that in the Paris attacks, TATP had been used as a main charge — packed into smaller, plate-like bundles that were sealed with tape and inserted in suicide vests. The tape was apparently intended to limit the explosive’s exposure to oxygen and slow its decay.

Now class, any questions?

9 Responses to “Who Needs The Anarchist’s Cookbook”

1. JeffS says:

   March 24, 2016 at 9:16 am

   The NYT lurves them some Islamic terrorists.

2. tree hugging sister says:

   March 24, 2016 at 11:03 am

   Wasn’t there a small Yugoslavian or Russian car named the TATP?

3. Dr Alice says:

   March 24, 2016 at 2:51 pm

   No, you’re thinking of the Pinto, THS. (ducking)

4. JeffS says:

   March 25, 2016 at 9:19 am

   I think you mean the Trabant, Sis.

5. JeffS says:

   March 25, 2016 at 9:20 am

   But the Trabant certainly bombed.

6. Mr. Bingley says:

   March 25, 2016 at 10:09 am

   Sis was on the Pinto, Doc.

   Or was it the Santa Maria?

7. James says:

   March 27, 2016 at 8:04 am

   the trubby

8. Vladimir says:

   March 27, 2016 at 10:01 am

   Tatra was a great air-cooled Chech- built car, which Ganzelka and Zikmund took around the world in the 50s

9. J.M. Heinrichs says:

   March 27, 2016 at 7:57 pm

   And the Tata is from India:
   http://bestcarmag.com/sites/default/files/2291395tata-magic.jpg

   Cheers