Blast bomb is a term used in Northern Ireland for a type of improvised explosive device.[1] More specifically, these devices are usually a form of homemade grenade, which is thrown at a target. These devices have been used in a number of public order situations, and in attacks on the Royal Ulster Constabulary, its successor Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and British Army. A police officer was killed by a blast bomb in Northern Ireland during The Troubles by loyalists[2][3] and in 2001 Loyalist protesters threw a blast bomb at Catholic schoolgirls, some as young as 4 years old, making their way to school in September 2001.[4] Ordinary fireworks are sometimes used in a similar fashion to blast bombs. Such devices which are packed with nails are referred to as nail bombs.
A similar type of device, also common in Northern Ireland, is the pipe bomb.
References[]
- ↑ UVF 'behind blast bomb', BBC News, 23 May 2004.
- ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/northernireland/4968359/Frank-OReilly-the-catholic-RUC-officer-killed-by-loyalists-in-1998.html
- ↑ Blast bomb defused at police station, BBC News, 14 February 2003.
- ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-70905/Relief-protest-scaled-down.html
The original article can be found at Blast bomb and the edit history here.