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This Is What a Real Bomb Looks Like

szczys writes: You see them all the time in movies and TV shows, but is that what an actual bomb looks like? Probably not... here's what a real bomb looks like. This story stems from a millionaire gone bust from gambling addiction who decided to extort riches back from the casino. He built a bomb and got it into the building, then ransomed the organization for $3 million. The FBI documented the mechanisms in great detail — including the 8 independent trigger systems that made it impossible for them to disarm the thing. The design was so nefarious it's still used today as a training tool.

2 of 361 comments (clear)

  1. Silly story... by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Real bombs can look like anything. The ones that get the military right now look like anything from dolls to bits of debris by the side of the road. Telling people what bombs really look like is misleading. The limitations governing shape and size come primarily from the intended use: if you want to kill a few soldiers by tricking them, then you disguise the bomb to look like something innocent, hiding the trigger and explosives from view. If you want to blow up a big building at a certain time or on a certain command, then you're limited by the amount of explosive and whatever sort of elaborate trigger mechanism you want to ensure it doesn't get disarmed, can be safely transported to its deployment area, and can be activated by your favorite method. If you want to drop one from a plane, launch one from a missile, or drop one on a sub, you additionally have other problems...

  2. Not a real story by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The PD didn't even think it looked like a bomb, that's why the school wasn't evacuated.

    Yes, it's a neat story, but no there was zero reason to tie this into recent events.

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    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)