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Spam Text Prematurely Blows Up Suicide Bomber
Hugh Pickens writes "A suicide bomber's plan to detonate explosives in Central Moscow on New Year's Eve was foiled when she received an unexpected spam text message that caused her deadly payload to blow up too early. A message wishing her a happy new year came hours before the unnamed woman was to set off her suicide belt near Red Square, an act of terrorism that could have killed hundreds of people. Islamist terrorists in Russia often use mobile phones as detonators. The bomber's handler, who is usually watching his charge, sends the bomber a text message to set off the explosive belt at the moment when it is thought they can inflict maximum casualties."
I can see the spam now:
"B10w ur load urly?" Buy M3dic4l V1a6ra!!!
Who would have ever thought that Spam would save a life?
At least now they can't say that spam never killed anyone.
Either that or they care so little about the suicide bombers that they didn't bother doing the extra work to prevent this.
"You've Got Fail"
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Why stop at Islam?
In Soviet Russia, spam blocks you.
I think this is the kind of terrorism we can all get behind - where the terrorist blows himself up without harming other people.
My postings are informational and does not constitute legal advice. Act on it at your risk.
Indeed - any fundie is a danger, no matter what invisible sky being they believe in
Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
Bombs don't kill people. People kill people.
If you block text messages off in an area, only outlaws will have text messages.
end satire.
No pun intended ;)
The "story" is a little light on details. The suicide bomber has no name and no location is given, other than she was in a "safe house". Why wasn't this news four weeks ago, when it was New Year's? Why do they think it was an errant text message that set the bomb off and not just a defective trigger (after all, the phone should have been destroyed in the blast)?
I expect to see this on Snopes shortly.
Worse than that. Virtually any cheapass phone allows you to set specific ring/vibration combinations for specific numbers. Set the trigger number to "vibrate", connect the vibration motor driver to the detonation stage, and set the default to "silent". Should take 25 seconds or so. Maybe a few minutes if VZ designed the interface...
Another funny story about a terrorist bomb premature detonation was one of a car bomb that detonated on a deserted Israeli road.
Comparing the remains of the driver's wristwatch with the clock attached to the bomb in the car's trunk, Israeli experts came to the conclusion that the bomb clock was set to Israeli time, which was in daylight saving mode, and the driver's was set to Palestinian time, which wasn't.
All it would take is a day's prep, an extra chip and 10 minutes of work to make it only blow up if, say, the message contains 5 a's. Tie the text out to something to check for the right 1's and 0's. This was shoddy workmanship.
You're talking about rudimentary programming for people who haven't even figured out that they could take the bomb off before detonating it. Gotta walk before you can run.
Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and stupid comments are intentional.
I suspect you answered your own question. It took time to figure all this stuff out, going through records and such, and that's why it's only now being reported on.
</humor>
Quite frankly this has a darker story. The handler can't trust the person to push their own button, so the handler does it remotely without the persons consent. That would imply that a number of people have failed to do what they have been psychologically coerced to believe what their duty, when its not something they really wanted to do in the first place. Feelings of despair and insignificance are easily played upon by psychotic individuals.
This story is hilarious! I'm gonna text it to all my terrorist friends right now!
Because 90% of women bombers are forced to do it. the scumbag Islamic terrorists either start killing their children, or threaten to kill their kids to make the woman do the deed. In fact a cellphone detonator means she could not be trusted to blow herself up so her Islamic torturer needed to have control of her death to make them happy.
All you flag wavers saying "dumb bitch" are uninformed as to how Utterly Disgraceful and lack of Honor these Islamic Terrorists are.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Yeah, Islam is more into stoning women who were raped.
Abusing underage girls and claiming cultural/religious license to do so.
Executing people like Theo van Gogh in the street for saying anything negative about Islam.
Kidnapping and torturing people including aid workers until finally taping their slow, agonizing decapitation.
Yeah, Islam has quite a moral high ground there too.
Religion is evil.
I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit
It's probably a very crude device, where they attach the speaker/vibrator wires directly to a detonator... Anything more sophisticated/selective would probably require more expensive equipment. I'm sure cost is of at least some concern to them.
weinersmith
If you're a suicide bomber, then can't you be trusted with your own detonator?
Really? You really have to ask if someone whose bright plan is to strap explosives to themselves is level-headed enough to be trusted the with detonator?
And you're capable of building a bomb with a remote detonator, then why would you be a suicide bomber (and not just a "drop it and run" bomber)?
It is very rare that a suicide bomber is also the bomb maker. They are usually some idealistic kid or even mentally handicapped person that the bomb maker or cell takes advantage of and convinces to go blow themselves up. The remote detonator takes away that deciding moment of whether they can really press the button and allows for remote detonation in the case they are ID'd and shot. The use of a suicide bomber makes a statement and display about the "dedication" to the cause and has a larger psychological impact. It also does not leave open the chance for the drop-off guy to get picked up and interrogated.
However, if the story is at all true, it leads to the usual conclusion:
If you (the bomber's handler) want something done properly, you just have to do it yourself.
Bombs don't kill people. People kill people.
If you block text messages off in an area, only outlaws will have text messages.
end satire.
End the madness, we need strong bomb-control laws!
Even better, lets ban bombs!
I was in Red Square on New Years Eve attending the festivities. There was no way the bomber could have made it in before midnight due to the massive police and military presence (to get in I went through 3 checkpoints where I lost my alcohol and bottled water). However, after midnight they dropped the security and a bomber could have made quite an impact at any of the several stages surrounding the downtown area that were still packed with people (the streets were closed off to cars so everyone was just walking around). This spam text was a lucky break for the Russians, things could have gone much worse.
No, suicide bombers are usually college educated middle class people. I know that makes for a more confusing narrative than "Unstable, idealistic, and poor," but it is true.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_bomber#Profile_of_attackers
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
I think this is the kind of terrorism we can all get behind - where the terrorist blows himself up without harming other people.
What's even better than this... is, now, a spammer can go to jail for involuntary manslaughter.
Yes, the only person slain was a terrorist, but the spammer did not know that.
No, I'm pretty sure I am human when I am happy to see someone who wishes to cause others harm kill themselves before they get the chance. Being enlightened before they decide to do it is a good choice too, but death works just as well.
People like you who try to empathize with evil people are no longer human. They are wrong. Period. They want to KILL people. KILL. OTHER. PEOPLE. Which one of those words don't you understand. I am HAPPY, THRILLED, ECSTATIC, that they did not get the chance. 10's, dozens, possibly hundreds of others get to live now. That brings me JOY. A tear to my eye. ELATION.
You can say what you want about the US government and its military, but we don't intentionally target civilians, we don't kill indiscriminately even people who may be on our side, etc. etc. There are accidents, friendly fire casualties, bad apples, and a lot of other bad shit that happens, but it is war and it is chaotic. We try our best not to harm the innocents or our own.
These monsters walk right into the biggest pile of innocent civilians they can find and detonate themselves.
So while people like you sit idly by and think of the children, there are some people who work hard to prevent it, and get a little joy when the enemy screws up. You're wrong, not them. Get off your pedestal.
They would likely level similar accusations against us, and who's to say how much of the information they have is correct?
honorless
By honorless, do you mean "their concept of honor is not one I agree with, therefore they have none"? Im sure in their eyes it is quite honorable; it seems pointless do discuss honor from opposite sides of the battlefield. It seems just as "honorless" to sit from the comfort of your home laughing as someone straps a bomb to their chest and takes their own life.
Regardless of that, is it not sad that someone would come to that point, that they would view whatever enemy they envision worthy of such hatred that they are willing to inflict civilian casualties? I see nothing humorous about the situation whatsoever, from their intent to their outcome.