Body Cavity Bombs

In the months after the foiled Abdulmutallab Christmas underwear bombing plot, there were rumors of a U.S. intelligence report about the threat from body cavity bombs. Devices like these had been used in 2010 in an assassination attempt on Saudi counterterrorism chief Prince Mohammed bin Nayef (which the Saudis later believed was an underwear bomb) and on Asadullah Khalid, head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security in December of 2012, with a rectal cavity bomb. In both cases, the intended victim survived- bin Nayef escaping with minor injuries and Khalid being much more seriously injured.

While it is likely that a body cavity bomb on an airplane would make a big mess and injure people, it is less likely that it would disrupt the plane’s integrity and bring it down. This, however, depends on the amount of explosives secreted inside of the body in question. Because bombs like these have no metal parts, typically using one liquid explosive as an initiator for another, they could easily escape metal detectors and body scanners. Besides the potential for access to aircraft, these tactics could introduce explosives into secured areas with protectees or other high-profile people who might be targets, by bypassing security measures.

(Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates)

Body Cavities

There exists copious medical literature on rectal and vaginal foreign bodies. While typically inserted into the anus or vagina for sexual stimulation, these adventures can land people in emergency departments, where data can be captured.

Gun-shaped lighter and crack pipe in vagina, www.listverse.com

The layperson may find the sizes ,and varieties of these items to be remarkable, and they are, when one considers the equivalent amount of explosives that each might represent. One author estimates that based on the relative sizes of body cavities, that a person could carry around five pounds of explosives inserted physically or surgically.

Were these items explosives, and connected to a remote detonator such as a mobile phone (which is what the Afghans believe the attempt on Khalid involved), a device could be detonated by either the bomber him or herself, or remotely, with another phone.

Implants

Breast and buttock implants are common cosmetic surgeries these days. Both of these present potential avenues for clandestine explosive implantation. Some enhancements, obviously, may produce greater opportunities than others. Results may vary…

Kim Kardashian on the cover of Paper Magazine, Winter, 2014 edition

German model, Beshine

It is fairly easy to see the nefarious potential for the use of implants, even those much less extreme than these, as a route of introduction of explosive materials, particularly in the case of a committed enemy.

Even without implanting shrapnel along with the explosives to maximize damage, as is typically done with suicide vests, the damage could be considerable, especially to those in close proximity. In the aftermath of the London train bombings on July 7, 2005, victims were found with shards of bone and other tissues from the suicide bombers, as well as pieces of clothing and jewelry imbedded in their bodies. Not the types of implants anyone wants.

What a Bombshell!

As the United States and allied nations continue to refine TTPs to counter potential suicide bombings, our enemies are refining theirs to bypass our detection and security measures. Soliciting the assistance of an engaged and aware public, if there is such a thing, might be the answer. I’d imagine that people, men and women alike, would pay attention to buttock implants like Kim Kardashian’s if they walked by. They just might not be thinking about what a real bombshell she might be.