Car bomb

A car bomb is an improvised explosive device that is placed in a car or truck and is intended to be exploded while there. It is a favorite weapon of terrorists, guerrillas and assassins because the car bomb acts as its own delivery mechanism and can carry a relatively large amount of explosive without attracting undue suspicion. Truck bombs are also popular -- trucks can crash through barriers more easily and can hold a great deal more explosives. Timothy McVeigh infamously bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City with a Ryder truck filled with ammonia/fertilizer explosive (ammonium nitrate). Motorcycle and even bicycle bombs have also been used.

Related Topics:
Improvised explosive device - Car - Truck - Terrorist - Guerrilla - Assassin - Explosive - Timothy McVeigh - Infamously bombed - Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building - Oklahoma City - Ryder - Ammonium nitrate - Motorcycle - Bicycle

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In recent years, car bombs have become widely used by suicide bombers who seek to ram the car into a building and simultaneously detonate it. In assassination attempts, it is more common for the bomb to be affixed to the underside of the car and then detonated remotely, by the car's motion, or other means. The bomb explodes as the target approaches or starts the vehicle or, more commonly, after starting into motion and when the target is more likely to be inside. For this reason, guards often check the underside of vehicles with a long mirror mounted on a pole.

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Defending against a car bomb involves keeping cars at distance from vulnerable targets, often using Jersey barriers, concrete blocks or bollards, and hardening buildings to withstand an explosion. This can be difficult where public roads pass near buildings, and road closures may be the only option in such circumstances (hence, for instance, in Washington, D.C. Pennsylvania Avenue is closed to traffic immediately behind the White House).

Related Topics:
Jersey barrier - Washington, D.C. - Pennsylvania Avenue - White House

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The U.S. military and law enforcement agencies often call a car bomb a VBIED, an acronym standing for Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device.

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Car bombs have been used by terrorist groups for many years – the IRA used them frequently in The Troubles in Northern Ireland and Great Britain – but mass casualty car bombing, and especially suicide car bombing, is principally a Middle Eastern phenomenon. The tactic was first widely used in the Lebanese Civil War by the Islamic fundamentalist group Hezbollah and was also adopted by the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka's long-running ethnic conflict. In more recent times, suicide car bombings have been used throughout the Islamic world, especially in Iraq, by jihadist organization such as groups affiliated to al Qaeda.

Related Topics:
IRA - The Troubles - Northern Ireland - Great Britain - Middle East - Lebanese Civil War - Islamic fundamentalist - Hezbollah - Tamil Tigers - Sri Lanka - Ethnic conflict - Iraq - Jihad - Al Qaeda

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