Yeah I lost a multi tool and a sailing pocket knife departing KL last year.
The Tokyo duty free shop was selling a set of full sized ceramic butcher knives with no further security between the shop and plane. I pointed this out to my companion, who was astonished as I was.
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I doubt that puny fireball would be able to do more than brown the edges of your typical glossy magazine.
The only real danger from the explosion is the cup itself, and Iām betting that it fragments poorly because this is a low pressure and low speed explosion, so maybe one person gets a nasty cut if youāre really lucky. You might be able to increase the danger by filling the cup with shrapnel of some kind (maybe small glass bottles to fragment?), but the weakness of the explosive is going to be hard to overcome.
This falls more in the teenage asshole can shut down an airport for half a day than āZOMG the terrorists can kill us all with Axe body spray!!!ā
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Actual explosives would work substantially better; but (if security is actually on the ball, and thatās a big if) they leave detectable residues all over the place, next to impossible to keep the dogs away. Itās a bit of a gamble.
Thermite is much less likely to compromise the entire airframe, though serious localized damage is probable; but aluminum and iron oxide shouldnāt be even slightly suspicious in trace quantities. Any decent explosive will take care of the plane; but RDX is not an odor you want to be explaining to the feds in a small, brightly lit, locked room.
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I assumed it was the same as what they do with big fireworks. Which is wrap with paper and linen string to contain the explosion. Technically, this makes it go boom better.
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I bet if you went and bought them they would wrap the knives up in a box and put it in checked luggage for you. Thatās not unusual for duty free shops.
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Pro tip: bring a box of donuts.
This is where I know thermite from:
(not Wikipeda, welding train tracks)
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Were you here for the recent debate when pistols were equated to carrots in terms of lethality?
That is an explosive device. Full stop. Point made.
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Precisely. And not in any kind of useful way. Theyāll confiscate all condoms or something.
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I just learned that Axe Body Spray can melt pewter.
I think as far as lethal weapons, chaining a dozen or so cans together, lighting them off with these lithium battery bombs, and then packing it with shrapnel would be just about the most destructive thing you could do. It is also nice that he has a remote detonator. Clever stuff. I wonder how long his YouTube channel is going to stay up.
That was my thought, just use Li batteries to start an intense fire ā stuff some magnesium in there to up the ante a bitā¦
Have you ever actually tried burning a glossy magazine, particularly a tightly wrapped one. They are shockingly hard to ignite.
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Make sure to store the materials in your underwear.
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I think that the goal is to stay out of the realm of fiction, so probably notā¦
mine got through dozens of timesā¦ until the time it didnāt.
but now i have a newer, better one!
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Ahem. "FIRE! FIRE!"
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You know, flash-bangs arenāt all that dangerous either. Still; SF-types seem to love them anyway, probably for the disorientation they cause.
You seem to be complaining that this thing is about as physically dangerous as, oh ā¦ I donāt know? A boxcutter?
You might be right, you probably are right, in that narrow sense. But physical danger has never really been the main issue with hijackings. You wouldnāt be able to recreate Pan Am Flight 103 with this thing, but letting one or two of these off and waving around a couple of smashed wine bottle āknivesā youād easily be able to take control of a cabin.
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No, wear a good suit, necktie, good shoes, stand in the middle of the lounge, take a bullhorn and say in a professional voice: āLadies and Gentlemen, your attention please. There is no reason to panic.ā
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No a box cutter is far more dangerous then this is. Iām reasonably certain you could hold this thing in your hand as it detonates and not be injured.
Iām almost certain I can hold a box cutter in my hand without injuring myself.
Furthermore, it doesnāt matter what the bomb thrower knows about how dangerous it is. The only thing that matters is how dangerous the targets perceive it to be. Loud bang plus smoke plus flash of light plus sparks plus flame plus surprise plus confined space with no exit? Yeah, peopleās lizard brains are going to perceive that as very dangerous.
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