SimulatedZero
Enlightened
Re: A worst nightmare for flashlight lovers/ flash-a-holics.
. Strange that Verizon would publish it under entertainment.verizon.com.
Flashlight Bombs in Phoenix, AZ
- Thread starter tsask
- Start date
Help Support Candle Power Flashlight Forum
alpg88
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2005
- Messages
- 5,343
Flashlight bombs puzzle Phoenix authorities
PHOENIX (AP) — Flick the switch on these flashlights and they don't light up. They blow up.
Three of these bombs have exploded within the last month in the Phoenix area, causing minor injuries to five people and raising fears of more serious ones.
Police still have no idea who is behind them and have taken the unusual step of putting up 22 billboards across the sprawling metro area to warn residents about discarded flashlights.
"The nature of the bombings are so random," said Tom Mangan, a special agent at the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Phoenix.
Mangan said the agency has ruled out any connection to terrorism because the targets have been random and there have been no messages or demands.
The ATF said the bombs appear to have been made by the same person or people because their design was identical.
An explosive was placed inside the flashlights with a smaller battery and rigged so that turning it on would send an electrical current that triggered the blast, Mangan said. He declined to identify the explosive material.
The first bomb was spotted by a passerby on May 13 in a suburb just west of Phoenix. It was sitting behind a palm tree in a strip mall and blew up when it was clicked on.
The next day, about 10 miles away, a landscaper found a flashlight in an irrigation ditch. It, too, exploded when he flicked the switch, authorities said.
The third bomb exploded on May 24 at a Salvation Army distribution center near downtown Phoenix and about 11 miles from the first one.
An employee detonated the device while sorting through donations, forcing 120 people in the store to evacuate. Jon Bierd, production manager at the facility, said the worker suffered a small abrasion to his forehead.
The Salvation Army stopped accepting donations of flashlights. Since the explosion, employees have not seen any flashlights matching the yellow one seen on the billboards.
"If we have a flashlight that's heavy or is not empty, then I'd call the Phoenix Police Department. No matter where it is, we do not touch it," said Bierd, who is setting aside any flashlight that is donated.
In addition to the billboards, police are offering a $10,000 reward for tips that lead to an arrest or conviction.
Police have received dozens of calls reporting possible flashlight bombs that either turned out to be false alarms or hoaxes, including one from a Goodwill store.
Meanwhile, the bombings have stopped, though it is unclear whether there are more flashlights out there.
The attention may have scared them off or they may gain confidence and strike again as the investigation stretches on without an arrest, criminal profiler Gregg McCrary said.
Details of the case lead the former FBI agent to think the culprit is either a man or two men, with one of them being a dominant leader and the other a follower.
As for motive, whoever is responsible may be bombing at random for various reasons, said McCrary, who teaches at Marymount University in Virginia.
"Typically these things are about wanting to feel superior and smarter than other people," he said, adding that they also might revel in the news coverage.
"There'll be a vicarious thrill or excitement watching news coverage, and it's kind of like: 'Look what I've done.' It's a sense of empowerment that 'I made all this happen,'" he said.
Mangan said the remnants of the bombs are at a laboratory and being studied for fingerprints and other DNA evidence. The ATF said it will try to trace the materials used in the bombs to see where they were bought.
Mangan said his agency and others are concerned that the bombings will resume, possibly in a different container. They're also worried that the injuries won't be so minor next time.
"Anytime any individual uses a bomb, their purpose is to create fear in the community and also to inflict serious injury or death," he said.
http://news.yahoo.com/flashlight-bombs-puzzle-phoenix-authorities-184552434.html
___
PHOENIX (AP) — Flick the switch on these flashlights and they don't light up. They blow up.
Three of these bombs have exploded within the last month in the Phoenix area, causing minor injuries to five people and raising fears of more serious ones.
Police still have no idea who is behind them and have taken the unusual step of putting up 22 billboards across the sprawling metro area to warn residents about discarded flashlights.
"The nature of the bombings are so random," said Tom Mangan, a special agent at the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Phoenix.
Mangan said the agency has ruled out any connection to terrorism because the targets have been random and there have been no messages or demands.
The ATF said the bombs appear to have been made by the same person or people because their design was identical.
An explosive was placed inside the flashlights with a smaller battery and rigged so that turning it on would send an electrical current that triggered the blast, Mangan said. He declined to identify the explosive material.
The first bomb was spotted by a passerby on May 13 in a suburb just west of Phoenix. It was sitting behind a palm tree in a strip mall and blew up when it was clicked on.
The next day, about 10 miles away, a landscaper found a flashlight in an irrigation ditch. It, too, exploded when he flicked the switch, authorities said.
The third bomb exploded on May 24 at a Salvation Army distribution center near downtown Phoenix and about 11 miles from the first one.
An employee detonated the device while sorting through donations, forcing 120 people in the store to evacuate. Jon Bierd, production manager at the facility, said the worker suffered a small abrasion to his forehead.
The Salvation Army stopped accepting donations of flashlights. Since the explosion, employees have not seen any flashlights matching the yellow one seen on the billboards.
"If we have a flashlight that's heavy or is not empty, then I'd call the Phoenix Police Department. No matter where it is, we do not touch it," said Bierd, who is setting aside any flashlight that is donated.
In addition to the billboards, police are offering a $10,000 reward for tips that lead to an arrest or conviction.
Police have received dozens of calls reporting possible flashlight bombs that either turned out to be false alarms or hoaxes, including one from a Goodwill store.
Meanwhile, the bombings have stopped, though it is unclear whether there are more flashlights out there.
The attention may have scared them off or they may gain confidence and strike again as the investigation stretches on without an arrest, criminal profiler Gregg McCrary said.
Details of the case lead the former FBI agent to think the culprit is either a man or two men, with one of them being a dominant leader and the other a follower.
As for motive, whoever is responsible may be bombing at random for various reasons, said McCrary, who teaches at Marymount University in Virginia.
"Typically these things are about wanting to feel superior and smarter than other people," he said, adding that they also might revel in the news coverage.
"There'll be a vicarious thrill or excitement watching news coverage, and it's kind of like: 'Look what I've done.' It's a sense of empowerment that 'I made all this happen,'" he said.
Mangan said the remnants of the bombs are at a laboratory and being studied for fingerprints and other DNA evidence. The ATF said it will try to trace the materials used in the bombs to see where they were bought.
Mangan said his agency and others are concerned that the bombings will resume, possibly in a different container. They're also worried that the injuries won't be so minor next time.
"Anytime any individual uses a bomb, their purpose is to create fear in the community and also to inflict serious injury or death," he said.
http://news.yahoo.com/flashlight-bombs-puzzle-phoenix-authorities-184552434.html
___
Canuke
Enlightened
Flashlight Bombs in Phoenix
Apparently, "you don't know where it's been" applies to flashlights too.
Apparently, "you don't know where it's been" applies to flashlights too.
Imon
Enlightened
Re: Flashlight Bombs in Phoenix
Wow.... scary.
One of the victims could be one of us ... or the perpetrator could be one of us...
Certainly my natural inclination when I see a flashlight is to play with it.
Wow.... scary.
One of the victims could be one of us ... or the perpetrator could be one of us...
Certainly my natural inclination when I see a flashlight is to play with it.
Illum
Flashaholic
Re: Flashlight Bombs in Phoenix
If this was eight years ago and I lived in Phoenix, you would have had all the evidence you need to incarcerate me. But I've lived in Florida most of my life and before this place became the prime real estate much of the backwoods was full of animals...
I've built countless modifications of such back in the days. With just a CR123A and a resistor I can ignite any form of fireworks that can fit in the flashlight. It would be weather protected, inconspicuous, and easily locatable at the point of use. By varying the resistance the delay time can be varied. Originally meant to scare off animals at night, I went higher and higher on yield and stopped just short of Mg/KNO3 when I learned of how devestating plastic shrapnel is. This was over eight years ago, over two years before I joined CPF. I always knew eventually someone will use the same idea because fundamentally it is not difficult. I saw new light and is now father of about 30 lights. While I am still intimidated by simple plastic flashlights with side switches found on the side of the road [Bad juju, bad karma, etc], a simple "clearing of the action" usually dissolves that fear.
I'm willing to bet this guy is using the same concept. Alkalines are pretty inert. An alternative method would be serializing 9V batteries and using an electric fuse [like an Estes Model Rocket Igniter]... but it still begs the question, whats his motive?
If this was eight years ago and I lived in Phoenix, you would have had all the evidence you need to incarcerate me. But I've lived in Florida most of my life and before this place became the prime real estate much of the backwoods was full of animals...
I've built countless modifications of such back in the days. With just a CR123A and a resistor I can ignite any form of fireworks that can fit in the flashlight. It would be weather protected, inconspicuous, and easily locatable at the point of use. By varying the resistance the delay time can be varied. Originally meant to scare off animals at night, I went higher and higher on yield and stopped just short of Mg/KNO3 when I learned of how devestating plastic shrapnel is. This was over eight years ago, over two years before I joined CPF. I always knew eventually someone will use the same idea because fundamentally it is not difficult. I saw new light and is now father of about 30 lights. While I am still intimidated by simple plastic flashlights with side switches found on the side of the road [Bad juju, bad karma, etc], a simple "clearing of the action" usually dissolves that fear.
I'm willing to bet this guy is using the same concept. Alkalines are pretty inert. An alternative method would be serializing 9V batteries and using an electric fuse [like an Estes Model Rocket Igniter]... but it still begs the question, whats his motive?
Last edited:
fisk-king
Flashlight Enthusiast
Flashaholics beware in Phoenix area...
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-06-09-03-31-57
Apparently someone in the Phoenix area is leaving bombs concealed as flashlights in the surrounding areas. Local police have posted 22 billboards to warn citizens not to operate any discarded flashlights within the city. Hopefully this perp will get caught before someone seriously gets hurt.
Edit: oops, I should have checked before I posted this in the cafe
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-06-09-03-31-57
Apparently someone in the Phoenix area is leaving bombs concealed as flashlights in the surrounding areas. Local police have posted 22 billboards to warn citizens not to operate any discarded flashlights within the city. Hopefully this perp will get caught before someone seriously gets hurt.
Edit: oops, I should have checked before I posted this in the cafe
Last edited:
Flashlight bombs puzzle Phoenix authorities
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/flashlight-bombs-puzzle-phoenix-authorities-16531427
"Three of these [flashlight] bombs have exploded within the last month in the Phoenix area, causing minor injuries to five people and raising fears of more serious ones."
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/flashlight-bombs-puzzle-phoenix-authorities-16531427
"Three of these [flashlight] bombs have exploded within the last month in the Phoenix area, causing minor injuries to five people and raising fears of more serious ones."
Re: Flashlight bombs puzzle Phoenix authorities
Ok.. found it. Looks like Empath beat me to the merging thing.
So how about we bring that thread here to the Cafe and merge it with this one? Sound good?
Edit: threads merged. We're all good now...
Ok.. found it. Looks like Empath beat me to the merging thing.
So how about we bring that thread here to the Cafe and merge it with this one? Sound good?
Edit: threads merged. We're all good now...
Last edited:
yuandrew
Flashlight Enthusiast
I recalled seeing this paragraph in the Wikipedia article on Booby Traps a while back
"Almost any item can be booby-trapped in some way. For example, booby trapping a flashlight is a classic tactic: a flashlight already contains most of the required components. First of all, the flashlight acts as bait, tempting the victim to pick it up. More importantly, it is easy to conceal a detonator, some explosives, and batteries inside the flashlight casing. A simple electrical circuit is connected to the on/off switch. When the victim attempts to turn the flashlight on to see if it works, the resulting explosion blows their hand or arm off and possibly blinds them"
"Almost any item can be booby-trapped in some way. For example, booby trapping a flashlight is a classic tactic: a flashlight already contains most of the required components. First of all, the flashlight acts as bait, tempting the victim to pick it up. More importantly, it is easy to conceal a detonator, some explosives, and batteries inside the flashlight casing. A simple electrical circuit is connected to the on/off switch. When the victim attempts to turn the flashlight on to see if it works, the resulting explosion blows their hand or arm off and possibly blinds them"
BudK
Newly Enlightened
Re: Suspicious flashlight (pic)
Yup . Some whacko in Arizona has been rigging flashlights as ied's .
Yup . Some whacko in Arizona has been rigging flashlights as ied's .
Pheonix area rattled by booby trapped flashlights
Thought this was an interesting read
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/29/us/phoenix-area-rattled-by-booby-trapped-flashlights.html
Considering most of the said flashlights are rayovacs, I would say any real flashaholic is safe in that area
Thought this was an interesting read
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/29/us/phoenix-area-rattled-by-booby-trapped-flashlights.html
Considering most of the said flashlights are rayovacs, I would say any real flashaholic is safe in that area
