lunes, 9 de febrero de 2009

Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am Flight

Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 (1988).

The attack I chose was Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 (1986). This tragedy happened on December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 headinf from London´s
international Airport to New York Kennedy international Airport exploded en route to Lockerbie Scotland. The flight originally came from Frankfurt, Germany, and there
wa where explosives (packed in passengers luggage) were placed onto the flight after being transported to Frankfurt on a flight from Malta.
The explosion killed all of the 259 passengers and crew as well as 11 residence of Lockerbie. Some investigations determined that Semtex (plastic explosive), was the cause
of the aircraft´s shattering, in other words that this kind of explosive was the one that cause the explosion in the plane. The explosives were wired to a divice that measured barometric pressure connected to a timer. this were placed inside a portable radio, and packed in a regular suitcase. It has never been certained how the luggage made through security and onto the plane. The explosives were triggered when the barometric pressure inside the luggage hold fell beneath a certain level during the first leg of the Pan Am, which began in Franfurt.
Many different stories about why the Lockerbie bombings happened and who was behind them have been put forth. Although trial concluded with the conviction of the two Lybyan suspects in 2003, the question of what happened continues to be discussed. In any case the terrorist attack is understood to be one event in a series of responsive acts of violence between non-states or states-sponsored terrorist groups and the United States in the 1980´s.
Iran is one of the considered countries that may have been behind the explosion because Iran is understood as responding to the American ecplosion of the Iranian passenger jet by American plane carrier, the USS vincennes, in 1986. Libya is also one of the candidates for the attack, because the Lockebie often considered to be one of a series of responsive strikes between the U.S and Libya that began with a nearly simultaneous attack on Rome´s and Vienna´s airport on December 27, 1985, attributed to the Abul Nidal group.
For the United States, the bombing was significant becuase it killed 189 civilians, more American civilians than any other attack up to that point. Also the use of plastics explosives was a innovation in terrorist tactics that circumvented metal detectors, and led to a number of new procedures to make airline travel more terrorist proof. All this was what made this attack so notable.



By: Priscilla Grasman

2 comentarios:

  1. See? That's more proof that terrorists always get away with it. You put securty, metal detectors, whatever, they will always have a way to bypass that. It's like a never-ending cycle. Well, back on topic, I find it really smart and intelligent how they used the plastic explosives to evade the detectors. It's a tragedy, yes, but I'll focus on something else. People can be really clever when it comes to harm others. I think the barometric triggering thing is interesting. These terrorists are very intelligent. Why don't people use their knowledge to help other people, rather than destroy them? Cool.

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  2. I think the reason way the U.S is target for terrorism attacks is because they are or where the top countries in every ways: economicly (well not in 1920), socialy and really advanced in technology in other words a really powerfull country. So the terrorist have always been against the U.S has always wanted everything that will make them more powerfull like more oil, weapons etc.

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