WHY A BOMB?

In addition to its power as a weapon, bombs offer terrorists a number of advantages over other types of weapons and forms of attack.

In a presentation at the Eighth International Conference on Terrorist Devices and Methods, Australian Brigadier General M. H. MacKenzie-Orr described six reasons why terrorists often prefer bombing over other methods of attack:

1. A spectacular bomb is almost guaranteed to grab world headlines and draw attention to the group or groups claiming responsibility.

2. The bomb is impersonal.

3. It separates the bomber from the scene of his attack.

4. A bomb contains within itself the seeds of destruction of the forensic evidence [a very false assumption] which is normally of great assistance in solving a crime.

5. Components from which bombs can be made are readily available in any reasonably developed country.

6. The construction of a bomb is a relatively simple matter.

On this last point, MacKenzie-Orr elaborates:

"From my experience in Northern Ireland, it is quite clear that any self-respecting ten-year-old boy could give you a fairly adequate description and construct an effective simple bomb. Somebody with a degree of technical training can produce a hideously complex IED.....one difficult to detect and render safe. These factors combine to make the bomb the most difficult weapon in the terrorist armory which we have to encounter."