Derby Police Warn of Homemade Bottle Bombs

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Derby Police Warn of Homemade Bombs

Published : Wednesday, 22 Aug 2012, 1:56 PM EDT

DERBY, Conn. (WTNH) -- Derby police are warning residents about homemade chemical bottle bombs that have been left on area lawns and driveways.

Police say the potential threat is real.

The bombs are made from common household chemicals mixed in plastic bottles. The suspects place these bombs in front of homes, where they explode almost immediately.

The bottles appear to contain a liquid and a shiny, tin foil like substance.

The concern is that if the bomb fails to immediately explode and a resident or child tries to pick it up, it could agitate the chemicals and cause the bomb to explode in their hands.

Most of the incidents have been reported in the Hilltop neighborhood, in the east side of town.

Residents are being cautioned to not pick up, kick, touch or in any way disturb these bottles. Instead they should call 911 immediately if they spot a suspicious bottle.

Definitely something we should be looking out for, I was at an IED class with the FBI a few weeks ago and this was a sizeable part of the discussion and demonstration. Let your guys know about these "devices" and the hazards involved.

If you see one call your PD and notify HAZMAT ASAP, let the experts handle this stuff. Kids are building these things with household items and a little help from youtube, so they aren't that complicated but they definitely deserve to be treated with respect.

Additionally, your local FBI Field Office's WMD Coordinator has a TON of good reference materials for recognizing the hazards of these devices, if your Chief or Training Officer calls down to the Field Office the Coordinator will probably be able to send you out whatever materials you need.

Edited August 22, 2012 by SageVigiles