What's New
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Wednesday, August 2, 2017 - 00:00
TRIPwire, 2 August 2017, 0800
On 1 August 2017, an IED emplaced by Kurdistan Workers Party rebels alongside a road in southeast Diyarbakir province killed two soldiers. The attackers detonated the IED remotely as the vehicle operated by the soldiers was passed by the device. The PKK carried out hundreds of attacks in the Diyarbakir province, which borders Syria, in its 40-year-long effort to establish autonomy from Turkey. -
Wednesday, August 2, 2017 - 00:00
TRIPwire, 2 August 2017, 0730
On 1 August 2017 at approximately 2000 hours local time, a suicide bomb attack killed at least 29 worshippers during evening prayers at the Jawadia mosque, the largest Shia place of worship in the Herat province of Afghanistan. Some reports placed the death toll at over 100 victims. Media reports indicated that either a single terrorist using a suicide vest with small arms, or two attackers, one with a vest and the other with a rifle and/or grenades were responsible for the mosque attack. The Afghan Interior Ministry stated that it believes the attack was the result of a VBIED, but initial reporting remains imprecise. No one claimed responsibility, but ISIS carried out numerous attacks on the minority Shia population in the recent past.
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Wednesday, August 2, 2017 - 00:00
TRIPwire, 2 August 2017, 0700
On 29 July 2017, officers from the Provo Police Department (PPD) and Provo Fire Department responded to reports of a backyard fire at a private residence in Provo. Upon arrival, they discovered a brown glass bottle with what appeared to be a sock sticking out of the top. PPD officers arrested a 39-year-old male suspect, who later admitted to making and throwing the Molotov cocktail onto the homeowner’s lawn. A search warrant was issued and officers examined the suspect’s home, and discovered materials that could be used to make an explosive device. Members from the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Provo Bomb Squad removed and rendered safe the explosive materials. An investigation is ongoing.
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Tuesday, August 1, 2017 - 00:00
Pakistan: Army Seizes Large Cache of Explosives
TRIPwire, 1 August 2017, 0930On 31 July 2017, Pakistan Army personnel, acting on a tip, raided a vehicle in Qila Abdullah near the northern border with Afghanistan and arrested two individuals. In the suspects’ vehicle, the officers discovered 2,000 kg (4,400 lbs) of unspecified explosive materials. The raid was part of a new offensive by the Pakistani Army called “Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad” to find and disrupt terrorist activity. [Analyst Note: Photos of the seized material also show large quantities of detonation cord.]
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Tuesday, August 1, 2017 - 00:00
Thailand: IED Kills Volunteers
TRIPwire, 1 August 2017, 0900On 1 August 2017 at 2100 hours local time, an IED emplaced at a shelter in Pattani, Thailand exploded and killed two volunteer security personnel and wounded four others. The device, which was detonated remotely, consisted of a steel pipe stuffed with explosives with a total weight of 10 kg (22 lbs). The blast left an approximately 1.5-meter (5-foot) crater, where investigators found metal fragments and electronic parts. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
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Tuesday, August 1, 2017 - 00:00
TRIPwire, 1 August 2017, 0830
Recent court testimony revealed that on 30 January 2017, a Pakistan-born male suspect with an Italian passport attempted to board a flight from Manchester, UK to Bergamo, Italy when airport security personnel discovered what appeared to be a crude pipe bomb in the lining of his suitcase. The officers swabbed the device, but when they found no trace of explosives, they decided it was not viable. The man was questioned by police and later released. On 5 February, the individual boarded another flight to Italy, but on 8 February, bomb technicians examined the device and determined the object was a “crude but potentially viable explosive device.” The IED was made of batteries, the barrel of a marker pen, pins and smokeless gunpowder. If the suspect had connected wires protruding from each end of the device, it would result in a detonation. The suspect was arrested when he returned to the UK on 12 February.
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Tuesday, August 1, 2017 - 00:00
TRIPwire, 1 August 2017, 0800On 31 July 2017 at approximately 1420 hours local time, Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) deputies responded to a report of a suspicious device discovered in a mailbox by a U.S. Postal Service employee. SCSO members cordoned off the area and asked local residents to shelter-in-place. Topeka Police Department officers assisted, while the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority Bomb Squad members collected and rendered safe the homemade device, described as smaller than a soda can. An investigation is ongoing.
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Tuesday, August 1, 2017 - 00:00
TRIPwire, 1 August 2017, 0730
On 28 July 2017, a male suspect in Johnson County was taken into custody and charged with one count of possession of an explosive device, which was discovered inside his home. A description of the device was not provided. The suspect has a criminal history and was previously arrested for multiple assaults, including aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer. An investigation is ongoing.
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Tuesday, August 1, 2017 - 00:00
TRIPwire, 1 August 2017, 0700
On 30 July 2017, Pinal County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) deputies who were executing warrants for drug related offenses and traffic violations at a local residence, discovered over 50 firearms, approximately 10,000 rounds of ammunition and what appeared to be unspecified equipment or materials for making an explosive device from a shed located on the property. Neighboring Pima County Bomb Squad members assisted in clearing the property of the explosive materials. An investigation is ongoing.