Comments on: Grenade Blasts at British Embassy in New York

By: ComingAnarchy.com » Blog Archive » Targetting Caterpillar

ComingAnarchy.com » Blog Archive » Targetting Caterpillar — Sat, 18 Jun 2005 20:18:15 +0000

[...] the mainstream press. Which brings me to one of their reports from last week. Remember that grenade that exploded in front of the British embassy in May? Stratfor recently reported th [...]

By: Conservative Thinking

Conservative Thinking — Wed, 18 May 2005 02:56:28 +0000

Small Time Terrorists Strike in Manhattan
Michelle Malkin, Slant Point, GOP and the City, The Jawa Report, Of the Mind, and James Joyner have all the details but here's an AP story to brief you in: 2 Blasts at British Consulate in N.Y.C. NEW YORK -...

By: jfdunphy

jfdunphy — Wed, 11 May 2005 04:37:57 +0000

There are some technical issues worth considering here. In Ireland, in an unrelated previous incident, some explosive devices were traced back to supplies originally held by the IRA, but subsequently entirely in the custody of the UK military. Therefore there was the strong suspicion that UK military agents provacateurs were behind attempted explosive devices. If there is a competent investigation into the chemical composition of the powder, fully disclosed for peer review, then an interesting question is: what lot did it come from.
Second interesting question: remember when chemical companies opposed mandatory addition of chemical taggants into potential explosives, including fertilizers? Wouldn't that seem to be a reasonable precaution in areas of high threat of use of explosive devices?
The use of plastic is interesting, in that it means that someone probably was trying to avoid detection by using plastic rather than metal--but then possibly adding the powder later--kind of like a binary weapon. Suspects in Iraq are being examined for traces of explosives or weapons on their hands--but one of the problems is that anyone who handles a farm tool or power tool also has metal on their hand--so you still can't really distinguish terrorist from the crew of This Old House.
This report raises more questions than it answers. If it is British provacateurs trying to falsely blame Irish nationalists, then they are committing a crime on US soil--and owe an apology to Mayor Bloomberg, Gov. Pataki, and the NYC bomb squad--which shouldn't have to waste it's time on false alarms. Note that the very next day, there was no follow-up news concerning a continuing investigation into the facts of the case. This deserves a rigourous follow-up.
Especially in the light of a report in the May 4, 2005 Irish Echo by Ray O'Hanlon of a link between an executive of a private security firm in Iraq with $293 in defence contracts and a executive suspected of human rights abuses, who was a former UK regiment commander in Belfast. There has long been a controversy over allegations of "shoot-to-kill" orders against Catholics. This little incident comes close on the heels of the report by the Inspector General for Iraqi Reconstruction.

By: Matt Sharkey

Matt Sharkey — Sat, 07 May 2005 03:14:49 +0000

Come on. This reeks of child's play. They were apparently toy grenades. What is a toy grenade? I've never even seen a toy grenade. I've played with lots of toy guns, but a grenade isn't much of a toy. This must be a new product, that only a young person would know about. Filling up a plastic toy with gunpowder doesn't even make an explosive device that will hurt you if you stand next to it. A passerby would have been burned and thrown down, but not torn apart. Even if these devices had adequate timers that would set them off when the morning rush was coming by, no one would really have been hurt. Gunpowder is not an explosive that detonates. It burns, and only explodes when it is contained under pressure or subjected to a primary detonator. A terrorist would have used a material that detonates with a shock wave,and would have contained it under pressure. Also, even that looser in Atlanta put nails and screws around his bombs as shrapnel. Gunpowder is available to any kid in New York whose father hunts and has a shotgun shell reloader. These were childrens' toys set off with model rocketry fuses I bet. New York has way bigger problems to worry about. How many people were raped and murdered in that city two nights ago? We could use some extra cops down here in DC and Baltimore if they have cops to spare in NYC to look around for kids with access to gunpowder and toy grenades.

By: Combat Boots

Combat Boots — Fri, 06 May 2005 21:47:28 +0000

...New York
Two homemade grenades have been detonated near the british consulate in New York city. The police are saying that there is no known motive at this time, and that no one was hurt, but counterterrorism...

By: JackLewis.net

JackLewis.net — Fri, 06 May 2005 15:23:41 +0000

Around the Blogosphere
The Felon Vote Powerline, Michelle Malkin Tony Blair's Birthday Present Powerline, Outside the Beltway, InTheBullpen, insigificant thoughts Blogs v. Newspapers...

By: dw

dw — Thu, 05 May 2005 17:19:02 +0000

Ms. Malkin's knee-jerkness is really amusing.

"I went to the deli the other day, and this Middle Eastern looking guy farted. I can't ignore the very real possibility that it was a dry run for a chemical attack on the US."

By: kenny

kenny — Thu, 05 May 2005 16:33:54 +0000

"The IRA has done a lot of targetted killing of government officials but has always taken care to minimize innocent casualties."

Tell that to the families of the victims of the birmingham bombings,enniskillen,brighton,warrington or any of the 516 civilans killed by the IRA over the last 30 years or so.

By: The Sundries Shack

The Sundries Shack — Thu, 05 May 2005 15:48:28 +0000

Election disrupting, or Something More?
I'm not quite sure what to make of this story.

Two small makeshift grenades exploded outside a building housing the British Consulate early Thursday, Election Day in England, causing slight damage but injuring no one, officials said.

Some fol...

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Thu, 05 May 2005 14:29:35 +0000

Certainly true. The IRA has done a lot of targetted killing of government officials but has always taken care to minimize innocent casualties. Pre-al Qaeda, most terrorist groups understood that killing a lot of civilians quickly delegitimated their cause.

By: Our Life

Our Life — Thu, 05 May 2005 14:20:31 +0000

By: Jim Henley

Jim Henley — Thu, 05 May 2005 14:12:38 +0000

The IRA has traditionally done more "nonlethal" (and less lethal) terrorism than al Qaeda has. They were often into quaint things like bombing buildings at night when they were mostly empty, phoning in warnings and suchlike. al Qaeda has always been about maximizing casualties.

By: Of the Mind

Of the Mind — Thu, 05 May 2005 14:12:12 +0000

Resolute
Terrorists have made another attempt to influence an elction. this time in Britain. Terrorists exploded modified toy handgrenades outside the British consulate in New York. This action today reminds us that we must remain resolute in our fight against ...

By: Michelle Malkin

Michelle Malkin — Thu, 05 May 2005 14:01:27 +0000

TERRORISM IN MANHATTAN
It has happened. Again. Sometime before 4am, May 5, 2005, an act of terrorism took place in Manhattan. Outside the British consulate. CBS reports: The blasts occurred at 3:50 a.m. and originated inside a cement flower box outside the consulate...

By: Slant Point

Slant Point — Thu, 05 May 2005 13:56:51 +0000

Grenade explosions in New York City
Two grenades exploded in NYC this morning at 3:35 AM outside the British Consulate on 3rd Avenue and 51st Street. They were inside of a cement flowerbox in front of the building. The grenades are being called "make-shift," being more home-made than o...