Determining "Wbo Donehe Foreasic Iavesufilioos of Iraqi Terrorist Operations During the Gulf War
Forensic investiiatioos of terrorist operations daring the Gulf war. combined criminal investigativeand scientific analysis to determine thatwas responsible for at least three attempted atucks against US interests Simtlantie* uncovered--including the construction of the devices and the type of eiplosivesIraqi involvement in thwaned lerrorut operations in tbe Philippines.and Turkey.
Com Calls ta tbendonesia, aad Turkey
The forensics investigation ai the crime scene in Manila provided important does to the sue and composition of the powerful bombtcded prematurelySIS facility onanuary, killini one Iraqi terrorist involved:
Analysis of tbe resuhwgfeet wide andfootresidue collected by :nvetiiiators indicated thaiounds of an RDX-bascd explosive were used.
The sheared, jagged edges of the fragments uncov. ered indicated high-explosive damaie. furtherthat pustX cxptaives. such as RDX. probably were used-
Witnesses reported thai the device exploded after the pair carrying the bomb stopped abouleters awiy from tbe USIS facility, and one of the terror-nts put his hand in the sack conummi the device.
Mamla. gather as much evidence as possible at ihe crime scenes before exposure to. the liemenis and cleanup efforts uunt ihe area. Fragments ofremains of the improvised explosive device Idistinguished from the surrounding debns in the hope of using them to reconstruct the bomb. Investigators must lake care to avoid boobytrap devices oflen planted at the enme scene to sabotage the investigation and to strike at security fortes.
The evidence is ihen sent to the laboratory, where every piece is inventoried and tested. Recovered fragments, explosive devices, and other items ere listed andfor use in subseauent investigations. Theusually then undergoes forensic testing.on ihe nature of ihe evidence, tests mighi include metallurgy, hngtrpnnis. hairs and fibers, document examination, and blood and DNA analysts.
Once the inventory and testing are compleied.attempt io reconstruct the device ana identify the Bomb maker Characteristics noted in theof ihe
akarta onanuaryetonated:
The denceilograms of PE-4A. an The crime scene invcsu|ation ir. Indc new pomied to RDX-baseC plasticevice similar to the one used in the aborted Manila attack. The bomb found at the LS Ambassador's
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Commonalidn Point to Iraqi Invohement
Forensics investigators clearly implicated Baghdad tfle botcned terrorist attacks by comparing the evv dencc withtraci devices and explosives.
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