On Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:18:56 -0800, jamesgangnc wrote:


Blowing up a watermelon and blowing up a plane have little in common.
From the passenger compartment the most either of those bombers could
have done was to blow a hole in the fuselage. Not enough to crash the
plane. But both tried to detonate the material while it was still on
them. Not while it was pressed against a window or wall. The shoe
bomber would have blown a hole in the floor and his foot/lower leg off.
The crotch bomber would have absorbed at least half the blast or more
with his body. Another significant amount would have been wasted on the
seat materials. Neither was successful in detonating. They were
clearly both kooks and working alone. A well planned attack would have
at least tested their detonation mechanism.

Yeah, but... I read one report that he had moved the explosive to his
leg, and that the leg was held next to the fuselage. *If* that was the
case, and the explosive had properly detonated, it could have brought the
plane down. Maybe it's just me, but I think all suicide bombers are
kooks. As to working alone, it's too early to be certain, but PETN isn't
sold at the local Walmart.