Al Qaeda top bombmaker Al-Asiri called "most terrifying terrorist" ever

[CougarKing]

Hopefully soon a Predator or another UAV will hit this guy with a missile...

link

The terror threat emanating from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen has focused attention on the group’s cunning leader, Nasir al-Wuhayshi. And for good reason. Wuhayshi, who was personally groomed by Osama bin Laden, is said to be a highly effective organizer and charismatic leader in the mold of his now-deceased mentor. Recently, Wuhayshi was elevated to the No. 2 position in al Qaeda’s core organization, even while running AQAP. But despite Wuhayshi’s growing stature among terror masterminds, no AQAP operative worries the United States more than Ibrahim al-Asiri, the group’s diabolically clever bombmaker, according to two U.S. counterterrorism officials

Al-Asiri, a drop-out chemistry student from Saudi Arabia who was radicalized after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, has proved uniquely adept at devising bombs that can elude even the most sophisticated forms of detection. He rose to prominence in 2009 after a suicide bomber nearly succeeded in killing Saudi prince Muhammed Bin Nayef. Al-Asiri had devised the bomb used in the assassination attempt. The attacker was his own brother. Early reports indicated that the bomb was implanted in the younger al-Asiri’s rectum, but it turned out that it had been sewn into his underwear. Al-Asiri absorbed most of the blast, which killed him instantly. Bin Nayef managed to escape with only minor injuries. Still, the fact that an al Qaeda operative was able to penetrate Saudi security and come some close to killing one of the kingdom’s top counterterrorism officials spooked American officials. A few days later, John Brennan traveled to Saudi Arabia to learn about the attack and the innovative bomb that had been used

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[Edward Campbell]

Apparently this is his work, I'll bet the airport security guys (and gals of a certain sexual persuasion) are looking forward to checking (some) women for these:
(Article reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from UPI.com,)

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/Blog/2013/08/16/Explosive-breast-implants-are-now-a-terror-threat/4521376677949/?spt=hs&or=on

Explosive breast implants are now a terror threat
Explosive breast implants could be the next bomb delivery method used by al-Qaida.

By KRISTEN BUTLER, UPI.com

Published: Aug. 16, 2013

Al-Qaida’s chief bomb-maker Ibrahim al-Asiri is rumored to have developed explosives that can be concealed in implants or body cavities, and are undetectable by airport scanners.

Staff at London's Heathrow Airport have reportedly been warned to be on the lookout for explosive breast implants, with one staff member saying "there are genuine fears over this."

"We have been told to pay particular attention to females who may have concealed hidden explosives in their breasts," the airport worker said.

"This is particularly difficult for us to pick up but we are on a very high state of alert." The warning has led to long lines at Heathrow now near the end of summer travel season.

Since body scanners pick up objects outside the body, it's not clear whether women are being frisked by hand.

“They are taking longer to screen people and there is definitely some sort of profiling going on," said independent security analyst Paul Beaver.

Explosives expert Andy Oppenheimer said there is "great fear" that al-Qaida will put these medically-implanted explosives to use before too long.

"It’s pretty top secret and potentially very grisly and ghastly," Oppenheimer said.[/size]

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Peter: "Wolf, wolf, wolf ..."

The security [read: scare] industry will always come up with "credible" information on alleged new threats, and their political masters will react accordingly because God forbid a single one of these threats will actually come through on their watch and ruin their chances at re-election.

The capability of terrorist organisations to get people to agree to immolate themselves is a lot lower than the security organisations try to make us believe. Otherwise, with the "anger" out there, you would be reading about those "martyrs" everyday.

And could they find ways to hide the bomb in a human body? It's already been done, at least for drugs and in Star-Trek TNG, and probably in real life too. However, let's not panic: You are likely talking about a limited amount of plastic explosive without the capability for carrying improvised shrapnel (like nails etc.), so there is a reasonable chance of survival even if blown onboard a plane.

Moreover, it actually leads to the real culprit: Relying on technology for screening. So long as we insist on using machines to screen the opponent will find a way around it. IMHO (and I have said this before), the best defense is the one used by the Israeli (who have more successful experience in this than anyone else) you need some basic technology but a lot of human "screeners" highly trained in observation and human psychology.

So please don't delay me another 30 minutes and get me to strip naked on my flight just because there is a one in two million chance (about the number of commercial flight a year) that I may die in a bombing - as opposed to a one in one million chance I may die on that airplane from any other reason.