Improvised Explosive Devices

Pipe-Bombs

The pipe-bomb is possibly the simplest of improvised explosive devices. It has been used by countless revolutionary movements, criminal organizations, guerillas, resistance fighters, and disgruntled, anti-social or homicidal individuals throughout the world to spread terror and mayhem. In its classic form the pipe-bomb consists of a short length of iron pipe sealed at both ends with threaded end caps, the pipe is filled with some type of low-explosive propellant (most commonly gun powder or match heads). High explosives can, of course, be used in a pipe-bomb but in this case the pipe functions only as a fragmentation jacket and plays no part in containing the blast and is therefore, technically, not a pipe-bomb. An igniter and delay mechanism or a fuse is inserted through a hole in the pipe body or one of the end caps. Extra shrapnel, often in the form of nails or ball bearings is sometimes affixed to the outside of the pipe body creating a device capable of inflicting lethal wounds on multiple targets within roughly a ten meter radius. A pipe bomb can be made from nearly any type of tubing but the stronger the pipe the better it can contain the explosion before rupturing and therefore the more powerful the blast. I have provided some ideas for producing pipe-bombs here with an eye toward safe construction, positive function and maximizing power and lethality.

Safe Construction

A pipe-bomb is a lethal and inherently unsafe device. Numerous bombers have been killed, crippled, maimed or blinded and ultimately caught due to the premature ignition of one of their devices. There are a number of causes of unplanned deflagration;

1: A spark caused by static electricity. The potential for such a spark can be reduced by lining the inside of the pipe with a plastic bag before filling it with propellant.

2: A spark or flame from a heat source. This one is so basic I don’t really need to explain it. Obviously one should never bring any explosive device into contact with a heat source, open flame or spark - this includes cigarettes, wood stoves, candles, gas lamps etc.

3: Heavy impact or explosive shock. If a pipe-bomb is dropped or stuck very heavily there is a chance, albeit a slim one, that it could explode. The shock wave from another explosive, a discharging firearm or even a powerful backfire from a vehicle engine could cause what is called a sympathetic explosion. This is fairly unlikely but anyone even considering constructing a pipe-bomb should be aware of the potential.

4: Powder caught in pipe threads: This is, apparently, a very common cause of unplanned ignition. A tiny bit of the propellant powder gets into the threads of the pipe and when the end cap is screwed on the powder is crushed and ignites blowing a gapping hole in its constructor. This situation can be avoided by using a toothbrush to clean the threads out and then lightly coating the pipe and cap threads with Vaseline prior to final construction. Also using the earlier suggestion of placing the powder inside a plastic bag or constructing the bomb with some alternative to the end caps, such as Bondo, will eliminate the potential for this problem occurring.

Maximizing Power

- If improvised propellant is to be used make it as fine as possible and be sure it is dry and well mixed. If commercial Black Powder is to be used FFFFg is very fine and makes a good filler. If Smokeless Powder is available use DBSP rather than SBSP as it is more powerful.. Probably the most powerful low-explosive filler is Potassium Chlorate powder.

- Lethality can be greatly increased by strapping or taping shrapnel such as nails, BBs, nuts and bolts and any small bits of scrap metal you can scrounge onto the body of the pipe bomb.

Positive Function

- If a fuse is to be used make sure it is dry and in good condition, braiding three or four of them together is a good way of ensuring positive ignition. One of the very best improvised fuses if commercial fuses are unavailable is a "sparkler". These are the bright burning fireworks which are placed on children’s birthday cakes. They consist of a straight piece of metal wire coated with some type of slow burning propellant. These things are cheap, very common and burn very slowly and positively; being nearly impossible to put out.

- If a homemade lightbulb squib is to be used inside the bomb be sure that it is of a design which you know to be functional. The inside of the bomb cavity must be well filled with propellant to ensure that the squib makes contact with the propellant when ignited.

- Double check the function of any timer, clockworks or delay mechanisms. Be sure any wires are in working order and use fresh batteries where applicable. Never use any untested design, system or propellant in an actual bombing.

Note: Remember an unexploded bomb is the Holy Grail for investigators from which they will obtain clues as to who you are and evidence which will hang you if you’re caught. When a bomb is built its function is to explode… period!

Some ideas for constructing expedient pipe-bombs: Rather than constructing bombs from pre-cut and threaded 1 foot pipe sections and end caps try cutting 1 foot sections from a length of at least 1 inch I.D.(inside diameter) discarded pipe. Instead of purchasing end caps try using auto body filler such as Bondo to fill the ends. To do this first drill a series of six or eight ¼ inch holes around the circumference of each end of the pipe section. Next mix up enough Bondo to fill one end of the pipe to a one inch depth. Heap the Bondo into a blob on top of a piece of paper and then place one end of the pipe into it. Be sure that the Bondo fills the pipe to a one inch depth and starts to ooze out of the holes you drilled. Let the Bondo harden then drill a hole in the center of the pipe section for your fuse or igniter wires. Next stand the pipe up with the Bondo end cap down and fill halfway up with propellant leaving enough room for your fuse or igniter to be secured against the opposite pipe wall with glue. After the glue dries continue filling the pipe with propellant until you reach 1 inch from the top then mix some more Bondo to fill the end, again making sure that the Bondo oozes out the holes you drilled earlier. Once hardened these Bondo end caps will contain the pressure of the exploding pipe-bomb long enough to ensure fragmentation of the iron pipe body itself. I have tried this pipe-bomb design and it really does work, it is vastly cheaper, safer to construct and produces less traceable evidence than using purchased pipe sections and end caps.

Improved Pipe Bomb Design

After some experimentation I produced a pipe bomb which could pass through a metal detector successfully. PVC pipe is used as the pipe body, this can either be in the form of purchased 1 foot threaded sections or preferably sections cut from discarded PVC pipe. End caps can be purchased and fastened on the ends with PVC cement or better yet Bondo end caps can be used as described earlier. In this design we must not use any metal so our fuse or igniter and delay mechanism must be non-metallic. Also our shrapnel cannot be metallic, therefore marbles, taped to the pipe body, will serve this purpose nicely. This bomb will not be as powerful or destructive as its metal counterpart because the PVC cannot contain the explosive gasses long enough to produce a really powerful explosion, but if well constructed it should be capable of inflicting lethal wounds within a five to seven meter blast radius.

Mail Bombs

This type of device consists of an envelope or small package containing an explosive device which will be detonated upon opening or alternately by remote control. This device is intended to be delivered right into the target’s hands either through the postal system, a delivery company or by the bomber himself. The first two options leave a paper trail and possible witnesses at the point where the package was mailed and the third, while producing no paper trail, forces the bomber to be present at the crime scene. None of these options is particularly appealing however hand delivery may be preferable in the case of a target to be struck at his/her residence. This is due to the fact that there will in all likelihood be few witnesses to an early morning package delivery in a residential area. If the target is in a civilian/commercial or government building hand delivery will be difficult because of security cameras and numerous witnesses.

The main problem with this type of attack is the fact that the intended target is often not killed or maimed in the explosion but instead one of his or her underlings takes the brunt of the bomber’s rage. This is particularly true for civilian/commercial or governmental targets where someone in the mailroom, a secretary or receptionist will most likely be the victim of this attack. Sometimes, in the instance of a Jewish, gay or some other degenerate or non-White activist group, this is perfectly acceptable. However in the case of a civilian/commercial or government agency where the target is an individual or small group of individuals in policy making or leadership roles, a bomb attack which indiscriminately kills or injures innocent Whites is not acceptable. These types of targets will be better dealt with by directing mail bombs to their residences to reduce the possibility of innocent victims. Selective assassination may have to be considered for targets protected by such "human shields".

Mail bombs fall into two main types;

Letter Bombs

The letter bomb is less likely to raise suspicions than the package bomb and is therefore more likely to be opened by the intended target. This type of device consists of an envelope filled with explosive, set with a detonator and rigged to explode upon opening. Envelopes from the standard business size to the large folder type can be used. The drawback to this type of device is the limited amount of space within the envelope, requiring a very powerful high explosive in order to be effective. Sheet Explosives such as M-118 or M186 are best suited for this type of device and will produce a device capable of destroying it’s intended target. Military sheet explosives are not easy to come by but I have provided a proven method for their construction in the Improvised Explosives section. The sheet explosive is sized to fit within the envelope, and a detonator is set. A proven method for rigging this device to explode upon opening is the use of a musical greeting card. This is the type of card which when opened plays a tune through a tiny speaker powered by a watch battery. This pre-existing circuitry can be rewired from the speaker to our detonator (a more powerful battery may be required) and the sheet explosive and detonator placed within the card. Some of our comrades in Germany have had great success in killing and maiming a number of immigration advocates and lawyers (most of them Jews of course) with this type of device, as of this writing those responsible have not been caught…Seig Heil!

The spatial constraints of this type of device don’t offer the operator much room to make improvements. There is really no way to add to the lethality of the letter bomb without making it suspiciously heavy or oddly shaped. The whole point of this type of attack is to destroy the primary target and this can only be accomplished if that target is not made suspicious by your device.

Package Bombs

This type of device offers the bomber a number of options regarding what type of explosive device to deliver within the package. A low explosive pipe-bomb type device or a high explosive device can be used depending on what type of explosives are available to the bomber. Packages from the size of a video cassette case to about the size of a shoebox or larger can be used, offering, with the right explosive, enough room for a very powerful bomb. It is important to remember, however, that many of the individuals and groups which we might select as targets for this type of attack are already aware of this possibility. In many circles any unexpected package will arouse a great deal of suspicion.

Unlike the letter bomb this device is intended to act like a "Trojan horse". It will be brought into the targeted building and explode destroying individuals and property within. For this reason very a powerful charge should be used and some form of shrapnel should be added to increase lethality.

A variation on this device is a hand delivered package, which is rigged with a wire or radio controlled initiator. This device is left at the doorstep of the target building or residence and when picked up or approached by the targeted individual the operative can initiate the explosive from a distance. Wire controlled systems are simple enough all that is required is very long wires which when touched together complete the circuit powering the initiator or detonator. Bear in mind that the longer the wires the more power is reduced in the circuit, therefore it would be wise to use more powerful batteries than required to power the initiator. This is a high risk type of attack and must be well planned to reduce the chances of capture.

Some ways to minimize suspicion;

- A package from an unfamiliar address will be viewed with some suspicion. A nasty trick is to label the package as having been sent from the address of a secondary target, usually an individual or organization familiar to the primary. That way the primary target will be more likely to accept and open a package from a familiar address but if the primary rejects the package it will be "returned" into the hands of the secondary target.

- The FBI has warned those who are concerned about the potential for package bombs to be suspicious of packages with excessive postage, no postage or excessive exterior tape. If a package is to be mailed, take the time to calculate the proper postage and use only that much. Be sure the exterior of the package looks in no way out of the ordinary.

Backpack Bomb

The backpack bomb is generally an anti-personnel device concealed in a backpack or large bag. The bomber carries the device to the target area and then leaves it behind to explode after he has made his escape. A backpack offers enough space to conceal a fairly large and powerful device (up to about 60-70lb) capable, with the right explosive and ample shrapnel, of producing lethal injuries upon a large number of individuals or of significantly damaging a building or other property. Low or high explosives can be used in this type of device, with low explosives requiring shrapnel in order to produce a lethal blast. Great care must be taken when deploying this type of device, if it is not built, set and handled properly it will blow the operative into fishfood.

A good precaution the operative can take is to place a large steel plate at least 1/8" thick (better yet ¼" or 3/8") inside the backpack between the bomb and the operative’s back. Be sure to use the largest steel plate you can fit inside the pack. This steel plate may save you from shrapnel damage in the event of a premature explosion however you will likely be knocked flat, injured, deafened and will not escape law enforcement.

This steel plate can also be used to direct shrapnel in a similar fashion as a shaped charge or a claymore mine. This will produce a more deadly killing pattern which can be targeted in a specific direction. A backpack bomb with a steel plate was used by Eric Rudolf at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Unfortunately the backpack was moved by a security guard by just prior to the explosion, changing the direction of the blast from right into a crowd of dancing niggers to almost straight up. Anyone who has seen the videotape of the blast understands the potential for murder and mayhem inherent in a surprise bomb attack in a crowded area, only one person was killed by the bomb but dozens were injured in the scramble to escape the area. If that bomb had functioned properly the death toll would have been very high.

Vehicle Bombs

Car and truck bombs have been used for many years by guerilla fighters throughout the world. The idea behind this type of device is to pack a vehicle with a huge amount of explosives and then move the vehicle into a position near enough to the target to do serious damage. The IRA has an effective practice of kidnapping the family of an employee of their intended target and then forcing them to deliver the bomb to the target. The bombing of the French embassy in Beirut was accomplished in a similar fashion, the bomb was concealed in the vehicle of an embassy employee without her knowledge. Once she was waved through the gate and had parked inside the compound, the bomb was detonated. These are known in terrorists circles as "proxy car bombs."

The widespread use of vehicle bombs in recent years has led to extreme countermeasures in some areas. Most high value targets will react swiftly to an abandoned Ryder van or any other suspicious vehicle. Good planning will have to be put to work in order to use vehicle bombs against hard targets. Softer targets may have to be selected for this type of attack.

The best type of vehicle for use as a bomb is a standard passenger van, although a full-sized sedan with a large trunk may be adequate. Avoid the use of large, rental moving vans; the Oklahoma City bombing has created a lasting sense of suspicion among law enforcement and civilians alike when they see these vehicles anywhere near a potential target.

Aside from the Trojan-horse effect the real strength of the vehicle bomb is the huge amounts of explosives which they can deliver. Cheap, improvised explosives should be used instead of more expensive and harder to obtain high explosives such as TNT or C-4. Save these for those jobs where their high power is needed. The most obvious choice here is AN-FO since it costs about $15 to produce 100 lbs. of it from readily available ingredients.

Fragmentation Grenade

Effective fragmentation grenades can be made from a block or cartridge of high explosive with shrapnel, such as nails or ball bearings, affixed to the outside and a non-electric blasting cap and fuse as the initiator.

Materials Required:

High Explosive

Nails

Non-Electric blasting cap

Fuse cord

Tape, string, wire or glue

Procedure:

- If an explosive charge other than a standard TNT block is used, make a hole in the center of the charge for inserting the blasting cap. TNT can be drilled with relative safety. With plastic explosives, a hole can be made by pressing a round stick into the center of the charge. The hole should be deep enough that the blasting cap is totally engulfed by the explosive.

- Tape, tie or glue one or two rows of closely packed nails or other shrapnel to the sides of the explosive block. The shrapnel should completely cover the four surfaces of the block.

- Place the blasting cap on one end of the fuse cord and crimp with pliers.

Note: To find out how long the fuse cord should be, check the time it takes a known length to burn. If 12 inches burns in 30 seconds, a 10 second delay will require a 4 inch (10 cm) fuse etc.

Insert the blasting cap in the hole in the block of explosive. Tape or tie fuse cord securely in place so that it will not fall out when the grenade is thrown.

Alternate Use:

An effective, directional anti-personnel mine can be made by placing nails on only one side of the explosive block. In this case an electric blasting cap will be used in order to facilitate the use of a tripwire, pressure plate or motion sensor as the explosive initiator.

Cylindrical Cavity Shaped-Charge

A shaped charge can be made from common pipe. It will penetrate 1-1/2 in.(3-1/2 cm) of steel, producing a hole 1-1/2 in. (3-1/2 cm) in diameter. A device of this type can be used to disable armored vehicles, breach security doors and safes, or destroy heavy industrial equipment.

Materials Required:

Iron or steel pipe, 2 to 2-1/2 in. (5to 6-1/2 com) in diameter and 3 to 4 in.(7-1/2 to 10 cm) long

Metal pipe, 1/2 to 3/4 in. (1-1/2 to 2 cm) in diameter an 1-1/2 in. (3-1/2 cm) long, open at both ends. (The wall of the pipe should be as thin as possible.)

Blasting cap

Non-metallic rod, 1/4 in. (6 mm) in diameter

Plastic Explosives

Procedure:

If plastic explosive is used:

Place larger pipe on flat surface. Hand pack and tamp explosive into pipe. Leave approximately 1/4 in. (6 mm) space at top.

Push rod into center of explosive. Enlarge hole in explosive to diameter and length of small pipe.

Insert small pipe into hole.

Important: Be sure direct contact is made between explosive and small pipe. Tamp explosive around pipe by hand if necessary.

Make sure that there is 1/4 in. (6 mm) empty space above small pipe. Remove explosive if necessary.

Turn pipe upside down and push rod 1/2 in. (1-1/4 cm) into center of opposite end of explosive to form a hole for the blasting cap.

Caution: Do not insert blasting cap in hole until ready to fire shaped charge.

How To Use:

Method I - If electrical blasting cap is used:

1. Place blasting cap in hole made for it. Caution: Do not insert blasting cap until charge is ready to fire.

2. Place other end of pipe flush against the target. Fasten pipe to target by any convenient means, such as by placing tape or string around target and top of pipe, if target is not flat and horizontal.

Caution: Be sure that the base of pipe is flush against target and that there is nothing between the target and the base of the pipe.

3. Connect leads from blasting cap to firing circuit.

Method II - If non-electrical blasting cap is used:

1. Crimp cap around fuse.

Caution: Be sure fuse is long enough to provide a safe delay.

2. Follow Steps 1, 2, and Caution of Method I.

3. Light fuse when ready to fire.

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