Parsons Green 'bomb' was DIY device put together with help from internet

The bucket believed to have caused the explosion at Parsons Green
Kett News
Robert Fox15 September 2017
WEST END FINAL

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The bomb used at Parsons Green seems to be a relatively unsophisticated weapon whose technology is available on the darker corners of the internet.

Police have described the device as an IED, a form of bomb developed and widely used in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The huge majority used in Afghanistan have been crudely simple, some costing little more than £5.

When some former Taliban members joined the Afghan police in Helmand, British explosives instructors were astonished at the dexterity with which they could assemble or dismantle an IED in just a few minutes.

Parsons Green explosion incident on the Tube - In pictures

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Terror groups, including Islamic State, have recently focused on using the simplest means as weapons — cars, knives and even domestic fluids and acids. It is now evident that the type of technology used in today’s attack is part of a general underground discussion between extremist groups.

We saw this in the abortive attacks with gas cylinders in Barcelona this summer. The ramming of walkers in Las Ramblas going wrong, and the explosion of gas cylinders in a Catalan hideout, revealed a major attack had been stopped in its tracks. They were planning a major bombing, probably in Barcelona, with 120 barrels of gas.

Today’s attack is part of a pattern, and you can always find the pattern with the gift of hindsight. It may well be the work of a lone attacker, but nearly all such attackers, including those who simply run down innocent bystanders on Westminster and London Bridges, do have some support network or sponsor somewhere. They don’t come completely out of the blue.

This sets the security forces a complex problem. Prevention is very difficult, and a lot of potential attacks have been foiled. But to spot a renegade on the point of switching from radical thinking and talking into extreme action is almost impossible.

It is vital to strengthen public awareness, as we all have a part to play. With the threat at its current level, the police and security services need all the help they can get.

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