DATE=8/17/98
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-41165
TITLE=BOMBING / INVESTIGATION (CQ)
BYLINE=WILLIAM EAGLE
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=
CONTENT=
NOT VOICED:
INTRO: IN EAST AFRICA, THE SITES OF THE BOMB BLASTS AT TWO
AMERICAN EMBASSIES MAY PROVIDE LEADS TO THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
BOMBINGS. THE U-S FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION, OR F-B-I, HAS
REPORTEDLY SENT BOMB TECHNICIANS, INVESTIGATORS, LABORATORY
PERSONNEL AND LANGUAGE SPECIALISTS TO KENYA AND TANZANIA TO SIFT
FOR CLUES. SOME OF THE F-B-I AGENTS ARE SAID TO HAVE BEEN
INVOLVED IN THE INVESTIGATION OF THE OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING IN
1995. FROM WASHINGTON, WILLIAM EAGLE TELLS US ABOUT SOME OF THE
THINGS THE INVESTIGATORS ARE LOOKING FOR.
TEXT: THIS WEEK INVESTIGATORS TURNED THE SITE OF THE NAIROBI
BOMBING INTO A CRIME LAB TO EXPLORE -- AS ONE NEWS AGENCY PUT IT
-- "THE ARCHEOLOGY OF TERROR." WHILE BACKHOES AND CRANES DUG
THROUGH THE RUBBLE FOR SURVIVORS, CRIME SOLVERS WITH RAKES AND
SHOVELS SCOURED THE WRECKAGE FOR CLUES. FORENSIC EXPERTS USED
COTTON BALLS TO SEARCH FOR POSSIBLE EVIDENCE ON FENCES, WALLS AND
METAL FRAGMENTS. A BULLDOZER UNCOVERED THE REMAINS OF WHAT IS
BELIEVED TO BE THE PICK-UP TRUCK THAT CARRIED THE BOMB. IN THE
PAINSTAKING SEARCH, EVEN THE SHRAPNEL FROM THE BODY OF A VICTIM
CAN REPORTEDLY HELP INVESTIGATORS FIND THE CULPRITS OF THE BOMB.
(OPT) NEW REPORTS SAY THE F-B-I CONTINGENT INCLUDES SO-CALLED
"EVIDENCE RESPONSE TEAMS" THAT WILL COLLECT AND IDENTIFY THE
EVIDENCE AND "RAPID START TEAMS" THAT WILL STORE AND ANALYZE ALL
INFORMATION NEEDED TO SUPPORT THE INVESTIGATION. THE FBI'S LEAD
INVESTIGATOR, SPECIAL AGENT SHEILA HORAN, SAYS THE AMERICAN
AGENTS ARE FULLY COOPERATING WITH THE KENYAN POLICE. EACH U-S
AGENT IS TEAMED WITH A KENYAN COUNTERPART. (END OPT)
FORENSIC EXPERTS SAY THE INVESTIGATORS ARE LOOKING FOR THE
SO-CALLED "FINGERPRINTS" TERRORISTS LEAVE BEHIND: LIKE A
RELIANCE ON CERTAIN EXPLOSIVES, DETONATING DEVICES, OR WIRING FOR
THE BOMB.
MAJOR GENERAL ZEEV LIVNE [PRON. ZEE-EV' LIHV'-NEH] HEADED A
RESCUE MISSION TO BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA -- AFTER THE 1992
BOMBING OF A JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER. HE'S CURRENTLY AT THE
ISRAELI EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON -- AS THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT'S
DEFENSE AND ARMED FORCES ATTACHE TO THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA.
MAJOR LIVNE EXPLAINS THE INITIAL TASKS OF THE INVESTIGATORS:
/// LIVNE ACT //
I BELIEVE THE FIRST CLUE SHOULD BE THE LOCATION OF THE
EXPLOSION. IN THE CASE OF BUENOS AIRES, IT WAS A CAR
BOMB, SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED IN NAIROBI, AND WE FOUND
THE CRATER. IT WAS ON THE SIDEWALK VERY CLOSE TO THE
WALL OF THE BUILDING. THEN YOU START LOOKING FOR PIECES
OF THE [VEHICLE] -- WHAT WAS THE [MODEL].....THE COLOR
AND NUMBER ON THE ENGINE. YOU CAN FIND OUT WHAT CAR WAS
USED FOR THIS ACT AND TRY TO CHECK WHERE IT CAME FROM.
ALSO, IF IT WAS A SUICIDE BOMBER, YOU CAN FIND PIECES
OF THE BODY IN THE CRATER OR ATTACHED TO PIECES OF THE
CAR. AND FROM THE D-N-A CHECK YOU CAN FIND SOME CLUES
INDICATING WHERE [THE DRIVER] CAME FROM.
// END ACT //
(OPT) THE WASHINGTON POST NEWSPAPER REPORTED FRIDAY THAT
INVESTIGATORS IN DAR ES SALAAM HAD FOUND THREE BATTERED PARTS OF
THE WATER TRUCK BELIEVED TO HAVE CARRIED THE BOMB TO THE EMBASSY
IN TANZANIA: A RADIATOR BELT, AN OIL GASKET, AND HALF OF A
REDUCTION GEAR. (END OPT)
BRIAN JENKINS IS A POLITICAL RISK ANALYST IN LOS ANGELES. HE
SAYS THE BOMB LIKELY LEFT A CHEMICAL COATING ON MUCH OF THE
WRECKAGE.
// JENKINS ACT //
IF YOU THINK OF IT IN A VERY SIMPLE WAY, IF YOU ARE
PUTTING NEW WOOD INTO YOUR FIREPLACE AND YOU DO
SOMETHING WRONG AND HAVE A PUFF OF SOOT IN YOUR FACE --
THAT BLACK SMEAR YOU CAN CHEMICALLY ANALYZE THAT AND
TELL WHAT IT IS. IT'S THE SAME THING WITH A BOMB: BY
TAKING A SAMPLE OF THAT RESIDUE ON THE SURFACES THAT
WERE EXPOSED TO THE EXPLOSION, YOU CAN ANALYZE THAT
CHEMICAL RESIDUE, AND THEREBY DETERMINE WHAT CHEMICALS
WERE INVOLVED IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE BOMB ITSELF.
// END ACT //
BRIAN JENKINS SAYS THE SIZE OF THE CRATER CAN INDIRECTLY HELP
INVESTIGATORS DETERMINE IF THE BOMB WAS MADE LOCALLY OR OVERSEAS.
TERRORISM EXPERTS SAY THE NAIROBI BLAST COULD HAVE INCLUDED UP TO
226 KILOGRAMS OF EXPLOSIVE. THE AMERICAN TELEVISION NETWORK,
A-B-C NEWS, REPORTED FRIDAY THAT TRACES OF AMMONIUM NITRATE AND
FUEL HAVE BEEN FOUND AT THE EMBASSY SITES IN NAIROBI AND DAR ES
SALAAM. OTHER NEWS REPORTS SAY INVESTIGATORS ARE LOOKING INTO
THE POSSIBLE USE OF A CZECH-MADE PLASTIC EXPLOSIVE CALLED SEMTEX.
INVESTIGATORS SAY PART OF THE ANSWER MAY COME FROM EXAMINING THE
WAY THE BLAST DISTORTED THE BUILDINGS AROUND IT.
// JENKINS ACT //
THERE ARE EXPLOSIVES THAT ARE HIGH VELOCITY --- THEY
EXPAND VERY RAPIDLY. [IN CONTRAST] OTHERS HAVE MORE
PUSHING POWER BUT ARE LOWER VELOCITY. FOR EXAMPLE,
THERE ARE EXPLOSIVES THAT ARE LIKE A KARATE CHOP THAT
CAN BREAK SOMETHING. [IN CONTRAST] THERE ARE EXPLOSIVES
THAT ARE LIKE A LINE-BACKER IN A FOOTBALL GAME -- A
PUSHING FORCE. GENERALLY, COMMERCIAL EXPLOSIVES WILL BE
PUSHING -- AND THE DAMAGE WE SEE WITH THAT IS HEAVING:
THINGS BEHIND PUSHED ABOUT. BUT WHEN YOU SEE HIGH
EXPLOSIVES, YOU ARE LOOKING AT THINGS THAT CAN RIP METAL
-- INSTEAD OF SIMPLY PUSHING THINGS ABOUT. THAT IS
ANOTHER CLUE AS TO THE TYPE OF EXPLOSIVES USED.
IT WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT CLUE IF WE WERE TO DETERMINE
THAT SEMTEX OR C-4 OR ANOTHER MILITARY GRADE HIGH
EXPLOSIVES WERE USED INSTEAD OF SOMETHING LIKE NITRITE
FERTILIZERS, DIESEL FUEL OR COMMERCIAL DYNAMITE --
THINGS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN OBTAINED LOCALLY.
(OPT) AS FOR LARGE QUANTITIES OF SEMTEX, THESE DO NOT
EXIST IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES AND WOULD HAVE BEEN SMUGGLED
IN. THIS IS HOW WE WOULD KNOW IF WE ARE DEALING WITH A
SOPHISTICATED EXTERNAL ORGANIZATION THAT SECRETLY
SMUGGLED IN A LARGE QUANTITY OF EXPLOSIVES TO BUILD A
BOMB -- OR [ BUILD ONE FROM LOCALLY AVAILABLE
EXPLOSIVES]. THAT WOULD BE AN IMPORTANT CLUE IN
INVESTIGATION. (END OPT)
// END ACT //
// OPT // MR. JENKINS SAYS IT'S LIKELY EVERY BIT OF DEBRIS WILL
BE SEARCHED. WITH LUCK, HE SAYS, INVESTIGATORS MAY EVEN FIND
PIECES OF THE BOMB, LIKE THE DETONATOR AND SWITCHES.
// OPT: JENKINS ACT //
IN THE BOMBING OF THE PAN AM AIRLINER [OVER LOCKERBIE,
SCOTLAND] IN 1988 [INVESTIGATORS] SEARCHED HUNDREDS OF
SQUARE MILES FOR DEBRIS OVER THE SCOTTISH COUNTRYSIDE.
THEY COLLECTED ALL OF THIS, ANALYZED IT VERY CAREFULLY
AND FOUND A FRAGMENT OF A CHIP -- A LITTLE PIECE OF
CIRCUITRY. THEY TRACED IT TO A MANUFACTURER IN
SWITZERLAND, AND ON BASIS OF INFORMATION PROVIDED BY
THE MANUFACTURER, WERE ABLE TO TRACE THE SALE OF THAT:
IT WAS A SPECIALIZED ITEM TO LIBYA, AND THAT PROVIDED
ONE OF THE KEY PIECES OF FORENSIC EVIDENCE IN THE
CHARGES NOW AGAINST LIBYAN OFFICIALS.
// END ACT // // END OPT //
BESIDES THE SEARCH THROUGH RUBBLE, INVESTIGATORS WILL LIKELY
INTERVIEW WITNESSES -- INCLUDING CAR RENTAL AGENCIES AND AIRLINE
OFFICIALS. THE INVESTIGATION WILL ALSO LIKELY INCLUDE AN
EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION AMONG INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS FROM FRIENDLY
COUNTRIES IN EAST AFRICA.
HOWEVER, ANALYSTS WARN THAT EVEN IF A LOCAL ACCOMPLICE IS
IDENTIFIED, INVESTIGATORS MAY STILL NOT BE ABLE TO TRACE THE
BOMB TO ITS POINT OF ORIGIN. FOR EXAMPLE, THEY SAY SOPHISTICATED
TERRORIST GROUPS HAVE MANY LINKS: THOSE WHO BUILD -- OR DELIVER
-- THE BOMB MAY NOT KNOW EACH OTHER, OR THE PERSONS PAYING FOR
THEIR EFFORTS.
MEANWHILE, AS THE SIFTING GOES ON, AMERICAN OFFICIALS HAVE
UNDERLINED THEIR DETERMINATION TO FIND THE CULPRITS, AND TO
CONTINUE U-S LEADERSHIP IN THE WORLD: SECRETARY OF STATE
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT TOLD THE PRESS THAT TERROR CAN TURN A BUILDING
INTO RUBBLE, BUT IT CAN NOT CHANGE THE DETERMINATION OF THE
UNITED STATES TO LEAD .... OR BUILD A WORLD WHERE THERE IS MORE
HOPE, PROSPERITY, FREEDOM, AND PEACE. (SIGNED)
NEB/WE/KL
17-Aug-98 1:30 PM EDT (1730 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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