Bombs? Check. Bomb-belt-strap? Check. Crowded city? Check. Protection against accidental detonation from a mobile phone? Oops. It looks like a suicide bomber who intended to kill herself on New Year’s Eve in central Moscow, and potentially hundreds of others, had her plans foiled by a simple text message. Russian security experts believe that the bomber received a message wishing her a happy new year and caused the bombs to go off. A bit ironic?

Luckily, the message that may have detonated the bomb was sent while the bomber was still at her safe house, so no one but the attacker was injured. Leader-Post has reported:

Islamist terrorists in Russia often use mobile phones as detonators. The bomber’s handler, who is usually watching their charge, sends the bomber a text message in order to set off his or her explosive belt at the moment when it is thought they can inflict maximum casualties. The dead woman has not been identified, but her husband is apparently serving time in jail for being a member of a radical Islamist terror group.

I’m certainly glad that no innocent people were hurt or killed by this terrorist, but you’d think that the terrorist would have had a separate, pre-paid phone or something so that uncles and cousins and exes wouldn’t be able to text “HAPPY NEW YEAR!” If only all terrorists were equally inept.

[Via: Leader-Post]