Issues of using booby traps and measures to protect against them.
Issues of using booby traps and measures to protect against them
Booby traps (BT), which are improvised explosive devices, were most widely used in partisan operations and operations of the German punitive forces during the Second World War. A distinctive feature of BT is that they are triggered by dynamic effects (movement, lifting, pressing, pulling a cable, etc.) used by an unaware person or group of people. From a legal point of view, two classes of BT can be distinguished: «legal» BT are used in the armed forces, «illegal» or «dirty» BT are terrorist weapons.
«Legal» military BT include certain types of mine devices, both factory-made and improvised products of special forces. These mines are used both as individual devices and in a system of minefields,
The use of military ML is regulated by a special Convention on Conventional Weapons of December 2, 1983, signed by 57 UN states and ratified by 31 countries. According to this convention, a mine is any charge placed under or on the surface of the earth (other surface), designed to operate (detonate or explode) in the presence (contact or non-contact) of a person or vehicle. Mines can be installed using artillery, rocket launchers, howitzers, etc. Mines can be dropped from aircraft.
A ML is any product designed or adapted to inflict injury or death and that operates unexpectedly for a person when he approaches or comes into contact with a seemingly safe object or when performing seemingly safe actions.
The category of «other devices» includes manually placed charges and devices with the purpose of killing or causing injury or damage, which are triggered by remote control signals or automatically by signals from a clock mechanism.
The Convention prohibits the use of these means against the civilian population. Article 6 of the Convention provides a long list of prohibitions on the use of certain types of ML. In particular, it is prohibited to use ML camouflaged as outwardly harmless objects or in any way associated with:
— protective international emblems, signs and signals;
— sick, wounded, dead people;
— medical installations and equipment, gear and vehicles;
— cremation and burial sites;
— children's toys and other small items of food, disease prevention, hygiene, clothing and education for children;
— food products;
— kitchen utensils, excluding those used in military institutions, military bases and warehouses;
— religious objects;
— historical monuments, works of art or places of worship that constitute the cultural or spiritual heritage of peoples;
— animals or their skeletons.
The use of ML intended to cause excessive injury or unnecessary suffering is strictly prohibited.
The use of ML occupies an important place in the regulations of all armies of the world. A soldier must master the methods of using legal military ML (mines and minefields) and the rules for assembling permitted types of improvised ML. Troops must be ready to recognize and neutralize, clear «dirty» ML of an enemy that has not joined the convention. Therefore, personnel, first of all, of engineering troops and front-line units, are specially trained in handling ML at special training grounds.
ML are used in the armed forces of countries that have not joined the Convention. From time to time, discussions arise regarding the legal status of partisan units, paramilitary formations, so-called liberation armies, and separatist movements. Usually, these organizations are not members of the UN and are not parties to the Convention. Therefore, when conducting military operations against them, the possibility of their use of «prohibited» ML is assumed.
Terrorist organizations around the world today use new generation MLs using the latest achievements of modern electronics. Since terrorists are not bound by the convention, there is a real danger of using the most sophisticated means of destruction. The widespread use of MLs by terrorists is due to the insignificant risk of detention or destruction of the terrorists themselves.
In a number of countries, especially in the USA and Canada, literature on conducting special operations is widely distributed, which provides descriptions of the type. «How to make a ML at home», «Homemade explosive Semtex», «Homemade mine», etc. Sometimes, expositions of no longer valid combat regulations appear in print, which are good sources of ideas for criminals. Special videos can also be purchased. The first pages of such publications usually contain a warning of the type: «Neither the author nor the publisher are responsible for the reader's use of the methods presented in the publication. The content of the book is for informational purposes only, and the methods described are life-threatening. Unlawful use of the methods is punishable by imprisonment for 10 years or a fine of at least 20 thousand US dollars.» Naturally, such warnings are empty words for terrorists. The Anarchist Cookbook, published in 1971, contained very simple instructions that were immediately used by the Red Brigades. Another danger is posed by terrorists who have served in the military. In terrorist organizations, MLs are usually made and used by well-trained people.
Another term used in specialized literature is «improvised explosive device» (IED), which is used as a collective term to describe explosive devices used by terrorists. IMs are one type of IED, although the line between IMs and IEDs can be quite difficult to draw. For example, a letter or parcel with a bomb that is triggered by dynamic action (opening) can be called an IM. A bomb with a timer mechanism in a bag left in a telephone booth is an IED. However, the same bag that explodes when the door is opened is already an IM.
The ML consists of an explosive charge (usually concealed), a trigger (by means of which the human target exerts a dynamic effect on the mine mechanism), an activating device driven by the trigger (cap or detonator). A link or mechanism is established between the main charge and the trigger. All together, it is enclosed in a container — a book, a teapot, an armchair, a telephone, a TV, etc.
The trigger mechanisms of the ML are extremely diverse:
— push — the victim steps on a step and presses the cap;
— release — the victim picks up a book or a can of Coca-Cola from the table;
— pull — an inconspicuous wire connects the ML to a stationary object;
— working on deflection — a board placed across a ditch;
— working on cutting — a cable or wire is cut to remove an obstacle to movement;
— the listed mechanisms in combination with retarders;
— electrical devices that are triggered when the light in the room or the TV is turned on;
— chemical reactions — mixing of reacting liquids when a bottle is lifted;
— optical-electrical — German terrorists preferred systems with a light beam, the blocking of which led to the activation of secretly installed street explosive devices;
— the use of various physical phenomena (opening a box triggers a light-sensitive element, vibration triggers a detonation when shaken, a change in atmospheric pressure triggers an explosive device in the cargo hold of an airplane, etc.).
Human imagination is limitless, so the fight between terrorists and law enforcement agencies will only intensify.
To make explosive devices, terrorists use common household items: wire, boxes, furniture elements, kitchen utensils, simple tools, books, bottles, etc. The main problem is acquiring explosives and detonators (caps). Explosives need to be safely transported and installed. Terrorists need a relatively simple channel for acquiring explosives, which must be easy to mold and explode reliably. At the same time, they must be resistant to external influences, not evaporate and have no odor. Terrorist organizations are constantly searching for sources of explosives, which can be poorly guarded military and civilian warehouses, especially those located in sparsely populated areas. Terrorists often use military explosive devices (grenades, missiles, etc.) in combination with special devices. A hand grenade can serve as the main charge of an explosive device, installed behind a door, which, when opened, pulls out the grenade pin.
Terrorist practices often use silent electric clocks, alarm clocks, switches triggered by sound, light, steam. Light bulbs, thyristors, photocells, chemical reagents are used.
Terrorists themselves make explosives from improvised means, for example, by mixing sugar and herbicides.
The location of the ML is chosen taking into account the usual movement of a person around the room when opening and closing a vent, window, using a telephone, turning on the light in the room, etc. Two different .ML can be installed in case one of them is discovered. Usually they play on the curiosity of a person who cannot help but touch a color photograph on the wall or a book on the table. After all, it is always interesting to look into a book with a bright cover. It is possible that two or more ML will be connected into a single system, so that when one of them is affected, all will work at once (for example, in a car). Some terrorist organizations use different types of ML, which makes it especially difficult to find them.
There is no single method of protection against ML, but it should be noted that protection against terrorist explosive devices is one of the elements of the general system of comprehensive security. General measures of protection against ML and IEDs can be as follows:
— law enforcement agencies collect all data on cases of ML use and exchange this data;
— a list of all possible household materials, chemicals and products suitable for the manufacture of ML is compiled and updated;
— a search is underway for substances that can replace «explosive» in national economic production processes;
— in a number of countries, explosives are specially marked so that, if necessary, their type and place of manufacture can be established. It is hoped that the circle of such countries will expand;
— procedures for fast and effective search for contraband explosives in border units and customs authorities are being improved;
— special training is conducted for employees of security departments of private firms. Employees of firms must know what to do in case of detection of unusual objects, in case of incomprehensible events, etc.
— when organizing personal security, the possibility of using ML is assumed.