Ten Dangerous Scenarios

Attack a nuclear plant

Cripple the
Transportation System

Destroy the
Fort Peck Dam

Detonate a suitcase bomb

Attack the Alaska pipeline

Contaminate a ventilation system

Cut off power to
a major city

Shoot down
Air Force One

Attack a chemical factory

Destroy a stadium

>> See the entire list <<

Scenario: Truck Bomb

Scenario

Detonate a truck bomb in front of or underneath a building to destroy the building

Description

This terrorist scenario has already happened quite a number of times. It was used, for example, by Timothy McVeigh in Oklahoma city. It was also used in 1993 to blow up the parking structure underneath the World Trade Center. Truck bombs are easy to assemble and move to the target. Timothy McVeigh parked his truck bomb in a convenient spot right in front of the office building. At the World Trade Center, the terrorists drove in and parked the truck underneath the building.

Damage Potential

A truck bomb has the power to destroy one or more large buildings, depending on proximity, and to damage many surrounding buildings. If the buildings are occupied, many people die during the blast.

McVeigh's truck bomb makes a good example. The truck contained 4,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer mixed with racing fuel. It destroyed the target building, and seven others collapsed. Many more were damaged. In the process, 168 people died and hundreds more were injured. Total insurance claims reached $125 million. According to this article, the federal government spent "$82.5 million investigating and prosecuting the case."

Potential Solutions

  • Cut off terrorist access to Ammonia Nitrate. According to this article, "Ammonium nitrate has been tightly regulated in Western Europe since 1980 and is sold only for use as an explosive to people with special permits. In the U.S., by contrast, six million tons of ammonium nitrate are produced annually for fertilizer and sold openly in major farming communities." Strict control of fertilizer supplies along with licensing of purchasers would help.
  • Ban all truck traffic in urban and commercial areas. This is difficult because most cities depend on trucks for nearly all deliveries to stores, hotels, restaurants, offices, etc. Therefore...
  • Inspect all trucks before they enter an urban area. This could potentially be an expensive and time-consuming operation, but it is possible. Automated search techologies could significantly reduce the cost and time. For example, chemical sniffing systems could smell the chemical signature of ammonium nitrate and other explosives, and X-ray systems could scan trucks.
The problem with searching trucks by hand is that it is a needle-in-a-haystack proposition. You search millions of trucks, at incredible cost in terms of time, money and inconvenience, in order to find one bomb. The perception is that the cost is too great for the threat. This is where automated systems may be the key. If we can create systems that can inspect trucks while they are in motion, and without direct human involvement, then the problem is greatly diminished. Chemical sniffing for the scent of explosives is one promising technology -- hiding the smell of a ton of explosives is difficult.

Related Links


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