Subject: [NEXTEL-1] FBI: Rigged Cell Phones Might Trigger Bombs

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 16:00:03 -0400

FBI: Rigged Cell Phones Might Trigger Bombs
............
CURT ANDERSON
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Cell phones modified so they could detonate bombs by
remote control were found by investigators probing the recent Saudi Arabia
bombings, raising concern that such methods could be used in the United
States by terrorists.

An unspecified number of rigged cell phones turned up during searches
following the May 12 bombing in Riyadh that killed 35 people, including nine
Americans. The FBI said Wednesday it had no information that such devices
might be used in a specific terrorist plot in the United States but urged extra
vigilance.

``Law enforcement agencies should remain alert to potential use of such
devices and incorporate awareness into their counterterrorism preventive
measures,'' the FBI said in its weekly bulletin to 18,000 state and local police
agencies.

The FBI urged local authorities to take precautions if such a device is found.

For instance, officers should ``immediately evacuate the area to a minimum
distance of 300 yards. Radios, cellular telephones and pagers should not be
used within 50 feet of the suspected device,'' the bulletin said.

Terrorists also have used pagers and radio systems to detonate bombs by
remote control, the FBI said.

The bulletin did not say whether cell phones were used in the Saudi
bombings, nor were there other details about the searches that uncovered
the suspicious phones. Saudi officials, who blame al-Qaida for the attack,
said last week they had identified 12 of the attackers and had 25 people in
custody in the case.

A cell phone was used in the July 2002 bombing at a cafeteria at Hebrew
University in Jerusalem that killed seven people, including five Americans.
The bomb, filled with nails and metal, was hidden in a bag left on a table in
the crowded room and was detonated by a call from another cell phone.

Late last year French police found explosives systems meant to be
detonated with cell phones during a series of raids around Paris that
dismantled a terror group with ties to al-Qaida and rebels in Chechnya.

Experts say the cell phone provides the advantage of allowing the bomber
to be far away from the explosion. Timing devices such as windup alarm
clocks or radio transmitters more frequently used in improvised pipe bombs
usually require the perpetrator to be closer.

The FBI bulletin said that when the phone receives an incoming call, ``the
electrical power from the telephone's ringer or vibrator activates the bomb's
circuitry,'' causing an explosion.

``Law enforcement officers without specialized explosives training should
never attempt to remove or disable a suspected device,'' the bulletin
warned.

Greg Baur, chief of the International Association of Bomb Technicians and
Investigators, said use of cell phones requires expertise to program the
phones and handle tiny components. He did not know of a domestic
bombing case involving use of a cell phone.

``You'd have to have a lot of technological ability,'' said Baur, former
commander of the Milwaukee police bomb squad. ``It takes a certain
amount of training, a certain amount of electronic knowledge.''

Landline phones have been used in years past to set off smaller explosions,
FBI officials say. One technique was to rig the phone so it ignited
gasoline-soaked material when it rang. In many of those cases, the aim was
to collect insurance money when a building burned.

http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?id=12615&sectionId=46

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