Responding to a Suicide Bombing Incident

IN RECENT MONTHS, SUICIDE BOMBINGS HAVE increased significantly in the Middle East, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. At this time, there has not been a successful suicide bombing conducted within the United States since 9/11. However, current international trends dictate that it remains prudent to study these incidents and develop effective public safety guidelines to deal with them. First responders at all levels must learn to work together to deter suicide bombers from attacking locations in their jurisdictions and to safely respond if an attack occurs.

A GROWING THREAT WITH DEADLY EFFECTS

A September 2003 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Bulletin titled “Tactics/Techniques of Suicide/Homicide Bombers” advised: “Occurrences of such incidents overseas indicate terrorist interest in conducting suicide operations. Reasons for this interest include the relative ease with which these operations can be conducted and executed; the psychological impact on a population; and disruption at the scene of the event.”

There are several operational advantages to terrorists using a suicide bomber instead of a remotely detonated explosive:

The device is precisely delivered to the target. A suicide bomber is sometimes referred to in military circles as a “(human) smart bomb.”
Soft and hard targets can be attacked. Suicide bombers driving vehicles can attack fortified locations.
No planned egress or getaway for the terrorist is required.
No one is left alive to interrogate or investigate.
One suicide bomber can wound or kill many victims.

Suicide bombing has been a terrorist tactic of choice for more than 20 years, dating back to the 1983 bombing of the United States Marine barracks in Lebanon; the Irish Republican Army’s use of “proxy bombs” in the 1990s (in which a victim was kidnapped and forced to drive and then detonate a suicide car bomb); and approximately 100 suicide bombings executed by the Tamil Tiger rebel group in Sri Lanka beginning in 1987. Also in the 1990s, the Palestinian “Intifada” brought suicide bombings into Israeli cities.

Photo by Tim Olk.

In July 1997, New York City transit police stopped two subjects from carrying out a double suicide bombing against the subway system in Brooklyn. The raid seized multiple live explosive devices just hours prior to the planned bombing. Additionally, a suicide bombing planned for New Year’s Eve at the end of 1999 was foiled when the alleged “Millennium Bomber” was stopped and arrested at the U.S.-Canadian border. He was carrying explosives and planned to place a large suitcase bomb in the Tom Bradley International Airport terminal in Los Angeles.

Of course, the most devastating suicide attack on record occurred on September 11, 2001, when 19 terrorist hijackers flew passenger planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In December 2001, the so-called “shoe bomber,” Richard Reid, failed to take down an American Airlines flight by detonating a bomb hidden in his shoe.

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld stated in 2004 that the number one threat to the new government in Iraq and the U.S. forces protecting them came from suicide bombers. As early as 2002, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller stated that “suicide bombers are inevitable in the United States,” and former CIA Counterterrorism Chief Vince Cannistraro warned, “There is no 100 percent defense against suicide bombers.”

Suicide bombings have occurred in more than 30 countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, China, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, the Palestinian territories, Panama, the Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

On July 7, 2005, four suicide bomber explosions rocked central London during the morning rush hour. More than 50 people were killed and 700 injured. The blasts occurred in a span of just 30 minutes and were well coordinated. It is important to remember that these devices were built from readily available commercial and household chemicals and materials.

Today, in Iraq, suicide bombings have become an almost daily occurrence, targeting American forces and Iraqi civilians.

The level of difficulty in preventing such attacks also is increasing, because the face of terror is changing. Recent intelligence has indicated that al Qaeda and other terror organizations have been actively expanding their recruiting of suicide bombers, including females and Western-looking members. In Russia, Chechen bombers, including women, downed two Russian airliners and seized a Beslan middle school, killing more than 330 hostages, most of them children.

In the United States there have been several threats and incidents involving explosives carried by individuals in addition to those cited above. They include the following:

September 1995: Mark Clark killed himself and his family in a car loaded with explosives in Baltimore County, Maryland.
August 2003: An explosive device in Erie, Pennsylvania, killed an individual, possibly a victim; the device was attached to his neck during an attempted bank robbery.
October 2005: A student blew himself up with an explosives-filled backpack at a crowded football game at Oklahoma State University.

RESPONSE PLANNING FOR THE INEVITABLE

Stopping suicide bombers is very difficult, and successful prevention is not guaranteed. Understanding some basic indicators and tactics may help first responders prevent the initial attack or at least protect the public from secondary attacks. Keep in mind that a “lone wolf” attacker or a mentally unstable individual could bring into play the same tactics identified as those used by Islamic terrorists, and therefore these individuals most likely will not fall into any general terrorist profile.

How would your agency respond to reports of a suicide bombing? Do you stage six blocks down the road and wait for the scene to be secured? What happens when this event occurs at a crowded location such as a sporting event? Fire/EMS units are an essential part of the response to these types of incidents and must plan accordingly. Does your department have guidelines and procedures for dealing with suspected suicide bombings and other types of explosive events?

Photo by David Handschuh.

Fire, EMS, and law enforcement all share the same priorities during a suicide bombing. Planning and interagency cooperation for any event should be paramount. Several issues will need to be addressed during the planning phase: Law enforcement will need to provide security and “over watch” for the fire and EMS units entering the “hot zone.” Several critical questions will need to be answered. There is a tremendous need for a coordinated effort among all agencies to ensure a safe and effective response. Responders’ safety is paramount during this type of event.

The first step in your preparation is a review of your agency’s guidelines and procedures when responding to these types of events. Another important step is to bring all the key agencies together, including fire, EMS, emergency management, law enforcement, and hospitals, to discuss this type of event. Every jurisdiction, big or small, should have a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) or Terrorism Task Force (TTF). As with any multihazard assessment and planning process, it is imperative to conduct a multiagency exercise (tabletop or functional) to bring all the key agencies together and rehearse the plan once it has been completed.

ENSURING A SAFE RESPONSE

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program conducts investigations of firefighter line-of-duty deaths to formulate recommendations for preventing future deaths and injuries. The NIOSH report FACE-F2004-11 listed the following recommendations for fire departments responding to scenes of severe violence:

Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for responding to potentially violent situations.
Develop integrated emergency communication systems that include the ability to directly relay real-time information among the caller, dispatch, and all responding emergency personnel.
Provide body armor or bullet-resistant personal protective equipment; train with this equipment, and consistently enforce its use when responding to potentially violent situations.
Ensure all emergency response personnel have the capability for continuous radio contact, and consider providing portable communication equipment that has integrated hands-free capabilities.
Consider requiring emergency dispatch centers to incorporate the ability to archive location or individual historical data and provide pertinent information to responding fire and emergency medical services personnel.
Develop coordinated response guidelines for violent situations, and hold joint training sessions with law enforcement, mutual aid, and emergency response departments.

LEARN THE “PROFILE” OF A SUICIDE BOMB INCIDENT

The long history of suicide bombing incidents overseas detailed above has enabled us to develop a profile of the nature of these events and their basic elements:

Men, women, and older children have been suicide bombers.
Targets have included buses, clubs, trains, restaurants, police checkpoints, and other public locations where there are large groups of exposed people (also known as “soft targets”).
Generally, there is a disregard for “innocent victims” such as children.
Devices have included belts, vests, jackets, backpacks, suitcases, shoes, and even a guitar case. The devices typically consist of 10 to 30 pounds of explosives that can be easily hidden in clothing or other packaging systems.
A few bombers have been killed or interdicted by police or military forces, and some have been identified by citizens, but most use the element of surprise: The detonation may be the first and only indication of an attack.
Bombers will add or “salt” devices with nails, bolts, ball bearings, and other items to act as shrapnel.
Hazardous chemicals and pesticides also have been added to the explosive devices. Several bombs were detonated alongside deadly chlorine gas canisters in Iraq earlier this year.
Poisons containing an anticoagulant that prevents blood clotting also have been used in suicide bombs, causing excessive bleeding.
Bombers have been infected with diseases such as HIV and hepatitis, exposing their victims when the bomber is blown apart in the detonation.
Ambulances have been used to transport bombers and devices. Recently, in Iraq, a suicide bomber-driven fire truck was used as a bomb against a United States Marine Corps outpost.
Bombers have started using an armed assault to gain access into “hardened targets” before detonating.
Responders have been targets of initial attacks and follow-up or secondary attacks.

It is important to remember that the “profile” detailed above continues to evolve and “copy cat” bombers attacking in the United States may choose to deploy new or as-yet-unseen tactics.

BE ABLE TO MAKE QUICK DECISIONS

A potential suicide bombing incident presents responding agencies with complex tactical and technical problems requiring quick, logical, and determined decision making. In most cases, public safety agencies will be responding to a post-detonation incident, but responders should be prepared to respond predetonation and “transincidents.”

Predetonation response occurs before the suicide bomber detonates the explosive device. Transincident response occurs when the bomber attempts to detonate the device and it malfunctions or when the bomber makes the decision to surrender prior to detonation. Postdetonation response takes place after detonation of the device.

The information provided here does not supersede local procedures and guidelines when responding to these types of events.

Predetonation Response

Fire department and EMS predetonation response will take place before there is an explosion. If there is a report of a possible suicide bomber, little time will be available for law enforcement intervention if the suspect is indeed a suicide bomber, especially when he is possibly moving toward his target. Here are recommended tactics:

Call takers and dispatchers must get as much information as possible and make every effort to keep callers on the line during the response. Extreme specificity is crucial; ask callers why a person is suspected of being a possible bomber.
All responders (fire, EMS, and law enforcement) should approach the location without lights and sirens. This avoids alerting the suspect and allows police to choose the best approach.
Park vehicles out of the suspect’s line of sight.
Law enforcement officers will need to approach the subject on foot, allowing the maximum opportunity to maintain a safe distance between themselves and the suspect. This tasking does not include fire or EMS personnel.
Establish a unified incident command post and fire and EMS staging areas well outside of the hazard zone.
Establish a task force or strike force to respond out of the staging area if time and circumstances allow.
Trained tactical medics can be assigned to support law enforcement operations.
Standard guidelines against the use of cell phones and radios are not applicable. There will be an overriding need for a rapid, coordinated response.
Responders should be prepared to establish flexible evacuation and containment areas. Rapid communications will be vital.
If there is an explosion, there must be a controlled response into the hazard area.
Do not touch or handle any type of improvised explosive device (IED) or other suspicious device.
If the suspect is neutralized and there is no explosion, do not render aid to the suspect. The suspect may only be injured, and a “handler” could still detonate the device remotely. All devices should be considered live. Bomb squad members or robots must first approach a bomber or suspected bomber.

Transincident Response

Transincident response occurs when the bomber attempts to detonate the device and it malfunctions or partially detonates or when the suicide bomber wishes to surrender. Tactical considerations include the following:

Communications with law enforcement are essential.
Suicide bombers appearing to surrender may do so as a ruse to draw in and kill law enforcement personnel and other responders.
Even if a suicide bomber sincerely wants to surrender, a second party (handler) may initiate the detonation remotely.
Should responding agencies encounter a suicide bomber who wishes to surrender, minimum standoff distances must be maintained.
Instruct the suicide bomber to remove all clothing and explosive devices. Once completed, bomb squad personnel will handle the bomber, clothing items, and explosive devices remotely using special equipment.
Do not touch or handle any type of IED or suspicious device.
Fire/EMS will be in a “stand-by mode” for this type of response.

Postdetonation Response

Fire department and EMS postdetonation response will take place after an explosion. A suicide bombing has the overwhelming potential for a large number of victims and fatalities. Expect a chaotic situation.

First responders must proceed with extreme caution for their and the public’s safety.
Call takers and dispatchers must get as much information as possible and stay on the line during the response.
Standard guidelines against the use of cell phones and radios are not applicable. There will be an overriding need for a rapid, coordinated response.
Rapidly establish a unified incident command post and staging areas outside of the hazard area. Start building the incident management system.
Supervisors must conduct a rapid scene size-up or “windshield survey.”
Law enforcement should immediately disperse any crowds.
Trained bomb technicians should search for secondary explosive devices on loitering individuals, in suspicious packages or trash receptacles, or in parked vehicles during and after the response phase.
A suicide bombing has the potential for large numbers of victims with very traumatic injuries. Some seriously injured victims may have no visible wounds, and many victims may be beyond help. Expect numerous types of traumatic injuries resulting from blast pressure, burns, and shrapnel. Trained tactical medics are a valuable asset to assist law enforcement during and after the response.
Quickly remove victims from the area, and render aid in a secure location. Conduct triage outside the hazard area. Use litters, blankets, or backboards. Triage will be conducted twice-once at the blast scene and again at the hospital.
Implement local mass-casualty/mass-fatality procedures.
Biohazard issues will need to be addressed rapidly, as these scenes can have multiple traumatic injuries in one small location. Decontamination may be an option.
Immediately monitor for other hazards such as chemical agents, gases, and radioactive materials.
Do not touch or handle any type of IED or suspicious device.
Do not approach the suspect or suspect’s remains regardless of their condition. Undetonated or partially detonated explosives or secondary devices may be present. Bomb squad personnel or robots must be the first to approach a bomber or suspected bomber no matter how long the wait.
Be aware of the possibility of secondary devices and snipers or shooters in the area. This type of event has targeted responders.
If a vehicle or structural fire is involved, conduct a rapid knockdown while considering evidence.
Establish as large a crime-scene perimeter as possible.
Leave in place emergency vehicles that are/were inside the blast/crime scene until the bomb squad can determine they are safe to move and moving them will not destroy key evidence.
Plan on an intensive media response.
Immediately notify local, state, and federal resources.
Plan on an extensive, multiday crime scene investigation.
Always remember, this will be a very fluid, dynamic situation. Responders have been killed at these types of incidents.

SECONDARY DEVICES

During any IED or suicide bombing response, responders should understand and plan for the possibility that a secondary device is present.

Responders must be aware of their surroundings and search critical areas such as the locations designated for the command post and staging. In the Middle East, there have been several incidents in which secondary devices were left for first responders. The same holds true for suicide bombings in Israel and in the Madrid, Spain, train bombings.

null

(Above and right) Two styles of bomber suicide vests. [Photos by Trent C. Walker, Greensboro (NC) Police Department.]

In the United States, there have been several cases where secondary devices were planted, such as those left by the convicted bomber of the 1996 summer Olympics in Atlanta, Eric Rudolph. During the 1999 Columbine High School incident in Littleton, Colorado, several devices were placed in the parking lots and near typical emergency services staging areas. The two attackers in Littleton had watched the fire department’s response to fire alarms at the school in the past and planted IEDs in those areas.

DISPATCHING

Emergency dispatch centers should have systems in place to dispatch first responders to a suspected suicide bombing or IED call. Words such as “bombs” or “IEDs” should not be used over the radio system-the media and public are listening! Specifics of a call should be given over a vehicle computer text system or by cell phones. In the event of an actual detonation with injuries, time becomes critical, as there will be an overriding need for a rapid, coordinated response.

IED detonations have also been reported as other types of emergencies, including the following:

Medical calls with burns or trauma,
“Man-down” calls,
Structure or rubbish fires, and
Explosions or “loud booms.”

SCENE MANAGEMENT

The incident management system is one tool public safety agencies use in managing these types of events. On being notified of an actual or suspected suicide bomber, the incident commander should implement the 5 Cs rule:

Confirm there is a device.
Clear the area.
Cordon off the location.
Control all entry and exit points.
Check the immediate area for secondary devices or hazards.

One major issue to be aware of is the so-called “double-tap” attack, when minutes after a suicide bomber attack, a second bomber will attack the first responders or gathered crowds. A suicide bomber response is similar to a hazardous materials response with “zones of control”:

Hot zone (where the device is located).
Warm zone (where the perimeter will be established).
Cold zone (location of unified command post and staging).

Notify all appropriate agencies-fire, EMS, law enforcement, bomb squad, emergency management, and hospitals-as soon as possible if there is a report of an incident or a possible incident.

Maintain safe separation distances from the suspected bomber/explosives at all times. According to several guidelines, the minimum safe evacuation distance for a suicide belt loaded with 10 pounds of explosives is 1,100 feet. The minimum evacuation distance for a suicide vest with 20 pounds of explosives is 1,400 feet.

Consider the following: There could be dozens or even hundreds of people within that range who will need to be quickly and safely evacuated away from the “hot zone” or the moving bomber. Command posts, fire, EMS, and staging areas should be outside of these minimum evacuation distances.

OPSEC

During your planning for suicide bombings, terrorism, and other “critical incidents,” it is important to think about the information that will be released to the public. For public safety agencies and special operations teams involved in planning and training for suicide bombings and terrorism events, it is critical that operations security (OPSEC) be used in planning and training efforts.

OPSEC is a five-step risk-management process used by military and security professionals to protect sensitive information that adversaries could use. Critical information such as planning and training efforts must be protected. Extremists and organized criminals can take weeks and months to select their targets and plan their operations. To be successful, they need specific information about our personnel, response plans, capabilities, and infrastructures. We, as public safety agencies, have critical information and need to protect it.

One valuable tool to assist you and your agencies in applying OPSEC is the “OPSEC for Public Safety” course being offered by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) for first responders and public safety agencies. This workshop provides practical examples of using OPSEC in the public safety world. Participants also learn how terrorists collect intelligence and plan their operations, how to identify areas vulnerable to an attack, and what countermeasures can protect information that needs to be secure. For additional information on the “OPSEC for Public Safety” course, visit www.fletc.gov.

TRAINING

Several of the public safety agencies involved in the response to the July 7, 2005, attacks in central London, including the London Fire Brigade, had been training for large-scale terrorist attacks since 9/11 and stated that the training “paid off” during the July 7 response.

It also must be recognized that there currently are several domestic and international terrorist groups that are willing and able to design and use IEDs against the public and first responders. There also are active hate groups and extremists located in all of the country’s 50 states. As previously mentioned, there may also be “lone wolf” or mentally unstable subjects who could use suicide bombings as their preferred method of attack.

Preparation is the key to dealing with a suicide bombing, and that includes having a clear idea of your actions before the incident occurs.

The first step in your preparation is to provide proper training to all response personnel. This should include an awareness of the hazards associated with suicide bombers and the proper steps for responders to take. If there is a local bomb squad or hazardous-devices unit in your area, ask for its assistance with your training and planning. Most bomb technicians will be glad to provide your agency with training on their procedures and equipment, since they will require your support (fire, rescue, hazmat, and EMS) during an incident.

Another excellent training resource for first responders is the Prevention and Response to Suicide Bombing Incidents (PRSBI) course in Soccoro, New Mexico, funded through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This course gives first responders information regarding planning for and response to suicide bombings. The student is able to witness live explosive events ranging from a small pipe bomb to a large car bomb. The course also allows students to return to their respective agencies and provide awareness-level training. For additional information, see www.emrtc.nmt.edu.

Again, follow local guidelines and procedures. This article should spur further discussion and planning within agencies. Each community should have a plan in place to address these types of events.

The world has changed drastically and will continue to do so; as it does, the types of threats we face will also evolve. If a suicide bombing occurs in the United States, trained and educated first responders can help lessen the devastation with a safe and effective response. Our communities have entrusted us with their safety, so we must prepare now.

AUGUST VERNON is an assistant coordinator for the Forsyth County (NC) Office of Emergency Management. He returned to this position in 2005, after serving a year in Iraq as a security contractor conducting long-range convoy security operations involving several combat engagements that encountered improvised explosive devices (IEDs). He has been a member of emergency management since 2000 and of the fire service since 1990. Vernon served in the U.S. Army as a nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) operations specialist. He teaches courses in IED response, incident management, OPSEC for public safety, hazmat operations, and terrorism/WMD response. He has been published in several national publications.