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1
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2
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- Which one is the suicide bomber?
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3
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- Sri Lankan suicide bomber “Dhanu,” moments before killing former Indian
PM Rajiv Gandhi, herself, and 17 others
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4
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- Bomb concealed under her dress, smuggled through security at an election
rally
- Detonated the bomb while bending down to touch Gandhi’s feet
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5
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6
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- It’s working – Israelis are terrified
- Although this strategy has wrecked their society, Palestinians feel a
rising sense of empowerment
- They feel they finally have a weapon that creates a balance of power
with Israel and, in their fantasies at least, can defeat Israel.
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7
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- Desperation and “nothing to live for” compared to “benefits” of
conducting a suicide attack
- Social status and public praise
- Financial reward to families
- Rewards of “martyrdom”
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8
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9
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10
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- Vice President Cheney: “Inevitable”
- FBI Director Robert Mueller: “A
real possibility”
- Terrorist groups such as
al-Qa’ida could try to mimic Palestinian methods here to cause
panic “on the cheap”
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11
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- No real profile
- Most are 18-23, male, and single.
BUT:
- Can be any race, color, sex
- Can be older, married people
- Bombers often alter their appearance to “blend in”
- Terrorist groups will employ bombers and disguises most likely to defeat
security measures…or profiling
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12
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- Suicide bombs can be delivered by multiple means, complicating security
measures
- Vehicle bombs: USMC barracks in
Beirut, 1983; Embassy attacks in Africa, 1998
- Boat bombs: USS Cole, 2000
- Individual-borne bombs: the primary method of attack in Israel since
2000
- Terrorists will choose whichever method is most likely to succeed
against a particular target
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13
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- A suicide bomber’s success depends on three main elements:
- Secrecy is essential to plan and conduct the mission
- Thorough reconnaissance and surveillance is required to choose a target
and identify its weakness
- Extensive rehearsals and “dry runs” are necessary to ensure stealth and
speed during the attack
- Ultimate goal: inflict as many casualties as possible
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14
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- Traditional concepts of security are based on deterring terrorist
attacks
- Assumes the terrorist fears death or capture
- But, suicide attacks depend on the death of the terrorist
- The suicide bomber doesn’t care about his/her death, imprisonment or
torture at the time of the attack
- No need for an escape plan, traditionally the most difficult part of a
terrorist operation
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15
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- There is no sure method of preventing a determined suicide bomber, but…
- The surveillance / reconnaissance phase is the best time to spot and
thwart attack planning
- Strong and obvious force protection measures are the best way to deter a
suicide attack
- The terrorist group wants to succeed
- The suicide bomber does not want to die for nothing
- If a target is too tough, they will choose another
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16
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- Be alert for indicators
- Surveillance, particularly focusing on access points
- Dry runs to identify hazards or security checkpoints
- Purchase of, or illicit access to, facility blueprints
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17
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- Pamphlet distributed to the public, early Sep 02
- Lists basic external, behavioral indicators:
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18
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19
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20
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- Military bases are on the “A-List” for targeting by terrorists
- The terrorist’s main goal is to inflict as many casualties as possible,
in hopes of causing panic and demonstrating the targeted government’s
“weakness”
- The absence of a “specific, credible threat” doesn’t mean there is no
threat
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21
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