Talk:Car bomb
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Perhaps there could be a 'target' field for the table? This would be especially useful for detailling assassinations, but I can see layout issues with the table becoming overly large. Comments? James D. Forrester 02:21 May 13, 2003 (UTC)
- How about two separate tables, one for assassination attempts and the other for untargeted bombs?
- Sounds goods to me.
- James D. Forrester 02:40 May 13, 2003 (UTC)
- Have now impemented. Thoughts?
- James D. Forrester 02:51 May 13, 2003 (UTC)
I'd disagree about putting location before target for assassinations, as, well, the 'important' part is the person, not where it occured. Also, locations should always specify the country, shouldn't they? Quite apart from anything else, specifying Beirut being in Lebannon, but not doing so for other countries makes it look like the only reason this policy is being implemented is to make exactly 2 location links for each event... James D. Forrester 03:03 May 13, 2003 (UTC)
- The reason the location comes first is so the second table looks like the first table. I took the countries out because the table was getting too wide. Chadloder 03:31 May 13, 2003 (UTC)
- OK, I've reached a compromise, of sorts; sublocation+country, exactly 2 references. This is still a typographical constraint, however, and it irks me not insignifcantly. Ah well.
- James D. Forrester 03:39 May 13, 2003 (UTC)
The King David Hotel was not a car bombing. The explosives were hidden in milk cans that were placed in the basement of the hotel. They were delivered by truck. Danny
- Yes, you're right. Chadloder 03:31 May 13, 2003 (UTC)
I am not going to state my authority for the following, for obvious reasons, but you should find it plausible on its merits anyway.
Ignition triggering is now rare as it is easy to detect and hard to install - interfering with the circuitry is time consuming and places detectable drains on the circuitry, which can trigger alarms. Also, the target can start the car remotely (inadvertently or otherwise), and the target may be a passenger who is a safer distance away when the ignitio starts. It is more reliable to set off the bomb when the car is underway, and easier to fasten it quickly and unobtrusively if no fittings have to be made to the car (one single central pull is braced against pressure points at the ends or corners of the bomb; it is quite easy to connect a single tie for this).
Therefore it is now more usual to use a combination of engine vibration, acceleration, and timing. The vibration starts a timer and works as a safety; the bomb arms when the engine is running steadily and disarms otherwise. Then, acceleration is picked up by (say) a mercury switch and sets off the bomb (this double triggering approach is a principle of wider application than just car bombs). Airey Neave's bomb went off when the mercury switch was triggered by going up a ramp from a car park; technically this is acceleration too. Security services monitor purchase patterns of components like mercury switches for this reason.
So, don't remove references to how car bombs work these days and substitute obsolete ones. PML.
What is the earliest reference to a car bombing that you can find?
- That would have to be the March 11, 1948 car bombing of the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem. 11 people died in the attack, which was carried out with a stolen American consul's car. This is the earliest one I could find.
- It should be noted that this page is probably the largest--and most accurate--list of car bombings on the 'Net.
- PBP, 21 February 2004
I am going to take out the most recent entry on this list, the foiled Atocha Station car bombings related to the Madrid Attacks. Seeing as this is a list of actual car bombings, and not foiled ones, they really shouldn't be on this list. If someone can tell me why they should, they can stay on. PBP, 11 April 2004.