Chicago Tribune
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Investigators
believe the bombs that killed three people in Boston on Monday were
housed in pressure cookers. The technique for building a pressure cooker
bomb is "commonly taught in Afghan terrorist training camps," according
to a 2004 memo from the ...
Pressure cookers have long history in world of bomb-making, experts say
The Department of Homeland
Security began warning law enforcement agencies that pressure cookers
were being used to house bombs in 2004.
(Chicago Tribune / February 16, 2010)
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Investigators believe the
bombs that killed three people in Boston on Monday were housed in
pressure cookers. The technique for building a pressure cooker bomb is
"commonly taught in Afghan terrorist training camps," according to a
2004 memo from the Department of Homeland Security. Here's a primer on
the appliance.
What is a pressure cooker and how does it work?
It's typically a pot with a lid that can prevent air and steam from escaping. This allows it to boil water at a higher temperature — up to 250 degrees, instead of the normal 212 — and thus cook food faster.
People who cook with the pressure cooker say it produces deep, complex flavors with ease and speed.
When did people start using pressure cookers to make bombs?
The use of cookers in improvised explosive devices dates back about 40 years, said Bob Morris, a retired Army colonel who founded the Global Campaign Against Improvised Explosive Devices.
"They are dangerous, but if you're comparing explosive power, there are a lot more powerful IEDs," like truck bombs, Morris said. "What makes (pressure cooker bombs) particularly dangerous is they're very easy to build. You can buy the components for them at just about any place, at your local store. They're easy to conceal. They don't necessarily look like an IED."
Homeland Security has been warning about pressure cooker IEDs since at least 2004, when it directed border inspectors, state and local officials and first responders to be on the lookout for them.
At least two recent terror plots in the U.S. involved them. A pressure cooker filled with firecrackers was one of three devices used in an attempted bombing of Times Square in 2010. Two were found in the hotel room of a suspected bomber near Fort Hood, Texas, in 2011.
Why do pressure cookers make effective bombs?
The devices provide an airtight space that allows pressure to build to increase the intensity of an explosion, said AJ Clark, a former military intelligence analyst.
"The fact that the pressure cooker cooks things with pressure is not really what's of any value here in the bomb blast," Clark said. "What you have is a container that you can very easily put a lid on and create this airtight seal and take an innocuous device, a pot, and turn it into a bomb, in a matter of minutes."
kgeiger@tribune.com
What is a pressure cooker and how does it work?
It's typically a pot with a lid that can prevent air and steam from escaping. This allows it to boil water at a higher temperature — up to 250 degrees, instead of the normal 212 — and thus cook food faster.
People who cook with the pressure cooker say it produces deep, complex flavors with ease and speed.
When did people start using pressure cookers to make bombs?
The use of cookers in improvised explosive devices dates back about 40 years, said Bob Morris, a retired Army colonel who founded the Global Campaign Against Improvised Explosive Devices.
"They are dangerous, but if you're comparing explosive power, there are a lot more powerful IEDs," like truck bombs, Morris said. "What makes (pressure cooker bombs) particularly dangerous is they're very easy to build. You can buy the components for them at just about any place, at your local store. They're easy to conceal. They don't necessarily look like an IED."
Homeland Security has been warning about pressure cooker IEDs since at least 2004, when it directed border inspectors, state and local officials and first responders to be on the lookout for them.
At least two recent terror plots in the U.S. involved them. A pressure cooker filled with firecrackers was one of three devices used in an attempted bombing of Times Square in 2010. Two were found in the hotel room of a suspected bomber near Fort Hood, Texas, in 2011.
Why do pressure cookers make effective bombs?
The devices provide an airtight space that allows pressure to build to increase the intensity of an explosion, said AJ Clark, a former military intelligence analyst.
"The fact that the pressure cooker cooks things with pressure is not really what's of any value here in the bomb blast," Clark said. "What you have is a container that you can very easily put a lid on and create this airtight seal and take an innocuous device, a pot, and turn it into a bomb, in a matter of minutes."
kgeiger@tribune.com
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