Hazardous Device OSINT Readbook - 01Mar2024

Hazardous Device OSINT Readbook - 01Mar2024

Explosive device detonated Saturday outside of AG’s office in Montgomery

An explosive device detonated outside of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office building on 24FEB24 in Montgomery, Alabama. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Hazardous Device Unit, the State Bureau of Investigation, the ATF, and the Montgomery Police Department responded to the incident.

Additional Sources: Explosive device detonates outside Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s Office, Video released of person of interest in explosive device left at Alabama AG's office

Kennewick teen arrested after authorities find explosive device at their home

The Kennewick Police Department executed a search warrant on at a residence in Kennewick, Washington based on a tip made to a high school resource officer which claimed a student had access to an explosive device. The Richland Police Bomb Squad assisted in the execution of the search warrant and successfully found and removed an improvised explosive device from the suspect’s home. The suspect, who is a juvenile, has been arrested and taken to a juvenile detention center.

Additional source: Student in custody after police find explosive device in Kennewick home

Cedar Lake man charged with making explosive device

Cedar Lake Police Department officers discovered an IED on 06FEB24 while responding to an unrelated call at a residence in Cedar Lake, Indiana. The IED was described as a cylinder of rigid cardboard, plugged on both ends with apparent hot glue, and a green fuse protruding. The suspect has been charged with possession of a destructive device.

Homemade Explosive Detonates and Kills Man Inside His Hawaii Home, Police Say: ‘Tragic Incident'

An individual died in a suspected detonation of homemade explosives on 26FEB24 at the deceased individual’s residence in Kīlauea, Hawaii. Investigators have determined there was no indicators of foul play but have not yet determined what the specific source of the explosion was or what circumstances led to the explosion.

Man killed in explosion while lighting commercial-grade firework at Aurora's Grandview Dog Park, police say

The Aurora Police Department received multiple reports of an explosion in the early morning of 29FEB24 at the Grandview Dog Park in Aurora, Colorado, upon arriving at the location Aurora Police discovered a deceased man who appeared to have died from an explosion. Law enforcement believe the deceased man was killed from an accidental detonation of a homemade explosive, homemade fireworks, or commercial grade firework. The ATF, Arapahoe County Bomb Squad, and the Regional Anti-Violence Enforcement Network (RAVEN) group responded to the scene to assist in the investigation.

Additional source: Police investigate 'homemade firework' death at dog park

Suspect threatened KC bank workers with explosive in robbery, FBI says

An unidentified suspect carried out a bank robbery in which he threatened bank employees with an explosive device on 15FEB24 in Kansas City, Missouri. The suspect was able to steal an undisclosed amount of money without any reported injuries and the FBI is now investigating the incident.

Advances in Detecting and Identifying Explosives After an Attack

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has funded two programs focused on increasing trace chemical identification capabilities for post-blast investigations focused on the use of gas chromatography- vacuum UV spectroscopy (GC-VUV) and isotopic signatures in explosive residue. Researchers at Indiana University found that GC-VUV can detect explosive’s concentrations in the low parts-per-million range, this method successfully identified and quantified intact smokeless powder particles from pipe bomb debris. Research into the use of isotopic and chemical signatures being used to identify explosive materials is being carried out by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory and South Dakota State University, in their findings a consistency between pre- and post-blast explosive materials was identified studying common explosives such as RDX, TNT, and ammonium nitrate-aluminum.

Bomb Threats

Location
Date
Method
Time Received Time Cleared Duration Evacuation Responders Suspect Motive

Barsema Hall at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois 26FEB24
Email
Notification made at 0758

Unreported
Unreported
No evacuation ordered, increased police presence
Northern Illinois University Police Department
Unreported
The threat included an active shooter, another University outside of Illinois received an identical threat the same day

Source

Large retail store in Louisville, Kentucky 23FEB24
Unreported
Approximately 1800

Unreported
Unreported
Unreported
Louisville Metro Police Department Unreported

Unreported

Location
Date
Method
Time Received Time Cleared Duration Evacuation Responders

Suspect Motive

Private pre-k to sixth grade school in Nashville, Tennessee 26FEB24
Email
Approximately 0600

Unreported
Unreported
Unreported, the school was swept
Metro Nashville Police Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol with K9, and the Specialized Investigations Division and the FBI are now investigating
Unreported
The private school targeted with the bomb thread had a mass shooting incident in March of 2023

Source

Source

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