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Bottle Bombs IED

Here is more information on the water bottle bombs we have been seeing lately.
These plastic water bottle bombs spew boiling acid when they are moved and will take your fingers.

This is verified as TRUE on Snopes! I looked myself! As recently as the last week of April...

That 'empty' plastic water bottle could be a bomb - be careful of moving them! This is NOT a rumor. This happened a few weeks ago...April 27, 2010 in Michigan. It has a video link at the SNOPES verification site which is noted at the end of this message.

Unfortunately they are entirely to easy and low tech to make:

1. A plastic bottle with a cap (like a normal water bottle)
2. A little Drano
3. A little water
4. A small piece of aluminum foil
5. Disturb it by moving it and the IED will detonate!
6. The device will remove fingers and spray the victims face and eyes with acid

People are finding these bombs in mailboxes and in their yards, just waiting to be picked up and put it in the trash.

You may never make it to the trash. It takes about 30 seconds to blow after you move the thing.

See "SNOPES" at http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/bottlebomb.asp

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mike France on July 30, 2010 at 10:45am

Oh yes we have had 3 here, none went off but melted the bottles

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Permalink Reply by Michael Bricault (ret) on July 30, 2010 at 10:56am

-Seems there has been a rash of acting out against the federal government and the object of this focus is the United States Postal Service. Unfortunately, these dirt bags have injured Mailmen who inadvertently move these devices while they innocently perform their jobs.
-Justice would be one of these IED's going off in the face of the bomb maker.

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Schwering on July 31, 2010 at 2:45pm

I've seen these work first hand, thankfully, in Fire Investigator training. We had a couple of these go off in mailboxes in the area in live in, blowing them off of the posts. We need to identify the bottle bombs and isolate the area until the local bomb guys mitigate these situations. These things are unstable to say the least, be careful!

Stay Safe!
Jeff

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Permalink Reply by Chris Piepenburg on July 31, 2010 at 5:16pm

We were just talking about these and dry ice bombs in the fire house the other day. These types of devices go off with great power, so i wouldn't doubt we start finding folks with blown of body parts as they become more prevalent!

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Permalink Reply by John K. Murphy on July 31, 2010 at 9:09pm

Michael.

Great safety notice over a relatively innocuous appearing item. Just like any IED – easy to make with destructive outcome.

Be Safe

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Marie on August 15, 2010 at 8:36pm

This is just sad. People truly have nothing else better to do. Who ever sets these stupid bombs up (most likey dumb a** teenagers) i hope they get what's coming to them. What i've been seeing lately is parents leaving their children home unattended, these parents really think their children will do no wrong. Last week we had a call for a house fire, two kids home, one was 5 and the other was 9....playing with matches, no parental vision. Luckily they didn't get hurt and the only thing that burned was the back yard, but seriously parents are getting dumber by the day

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Permalink Reply by Karr Quintero on September 17, 2010 at 10:07pm

wow, how would one respond to an EMR on one of them makers of these things?. I've had to bite my lip a few times on messed up calls but dang, what do you do?

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