(U) OBP Counter-IED Resource Guide (2017)
Description
OBP Counter-IED Resource Guide (2017)
United Kingdom: 2 IIDs Thrown into Occupied Residence
On 4 March 2024, at approximately 2215 hours local time, two improvised incendiary devices (IIDs), described as petrol bombs, were thrown through the window of an occupied residence in the town of Ballymena in Northern Ireland. Police Service of Northern Ireland officers responded to the scene, and an initial investigation determined that the IIDs failed to ignite. No injuries were reported. The investigation is ongoing.
Switzerland: Unknown Explosive Device Thrown at Children, 8 Injured
On 28 February 2024, an unknown suspect threw an object at the feet of a child near a shopping mall in Basel, Basel-Stadt. The child took the object to a daycare to show friends, where it functioned in the child’s hand, injuring the child and seven others. The explosive device was originally believed to be a pyrotechnic device, but a father of one child later described the explosive as a “homemade bomb” with shrapnel. No further device details were provided. Authorities believe the suspect is between the ages of 20 and 22, per witness statements. The investigation is ongoing.
Italy: Business Destroyed after Explosive Device Functioned
On 1 March 2024, at approximately 0400 hours local time, an explosive device was functioned outside a business on Ammaturo Street in Avellino after unknown attackers doused the entrance with flammable liquid. Local firefighters responded and extinguished the blaze. The business sustained extensive damage, but no injuries were reported. No further device details were released. An investigation is ongoing.
Source story here.
Germany: Suspect Functions Pyrotechnics and Creates Barricade in Hospital Room
On 4 March 2024, local police officers and several fire departments responded to a hospital in Aachen after a 65-year-old female suspect barricaded herself inside a room and functioned unspecified pyrotechnics. The suspect was eventually arrested, and no further information has been released.
West Virginia: Blasting Caps Found in Vehicle, 1 Arrested
On 5 March 2024, a 42-year-old man was arrested in Buckhannon after a law enforcement officer discovered blasting caps in his vehicle during a traffic stop. No further details about the explosive materials were released.
Source story here.
Rhode Island: Multiple Explosions Reported to Law Enforcement, 1 Arrested
On 3 March 2024, at approximately 1730 hours local time, Hopkinton Police Department (HPD) received numerous reports of multiple explosions prompting officers to respond to a residence on Clarks Falls Road. At the scene, a 20-year-old male suspect was identified by police as having allegedly functioned binary explosives in an illegal manner. No additional device details have been released. Bomb technicians from the Rhode Island State Bomb Squad and personnel from both the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Ashaway Fire Department were called in for assistance.
Pennsylvania: BMM Found in Home, 1 Arrested
On 4 March 2024, at approximately 1930 hours local time, the Altoona Police Department (APD) responded to a residence on the 1500 block of Logan Avenue after receiving a report that a woman had been shot in the foot. While searching the residence, police discovered bomb-making material (BMM), a “defused” hand grenade, firearms, ammunition, several ballistic vests, and drug paraphernalia. No additional details regarding the BMM or the grenade were released. Police arrested a 30-year-old man at the scene.
Pennsylvania: IEDs and BMM Found in Backpack on Sidewalk, 1 Arrested
On 26 February 2024, Clearfield Regional Police officers responded to the 600 block of Williams Street to investigate a backpack found on the sidewalk. Inside of the backpack, police discovered four IEDs and bomb-making material (BMM), as well as drug paraphernalia. Centre County Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians were called to the scene to assist in securing the IEDs. According to media reporting, the backpack allegedly belonged to a 46-year-old female suspect. Police searched the suspect’s residence and discovered additional BMM used for the IEDs.
Colorado: Pyrotechnics Functioned Near Dog Park, 1 Killed
On 29 February 2024, at approximately 0100 hours local time, Aurora Police Department officers responded to reports of an explosion at a dog park on East Quincy Avenue. A 42-year-old man was found deceased by authorities. Initial reports state the detonation of a pyrotechnic was the cause. The ATF, Arapahoe County Bomb Squad, and Regional Anti-Violence Enforcement Network group responded to assist and rendered safe four additional pyrotechnic devices. The investigation is ongoing.