Maker of ATM bombing tutorials blew himself up – Euro cops A 29-year-old man alleged to have been part of a group that blew up at least 15 cash machines in Germany managed to kill himself and injure an associate last year while filming a video tutorial on how to blow up ATMs, according to European authorities. Europol in a statement this week said the Dutch and German police had …
Happens all the time. Just ask at your local Emergency Room (A&E, EW, depending on jurisdiction). Making homemade explosives is so easy that any idiot can do it. And frequently, they do.
We won't get into the "sport" of sitting on airbags removed from cars.
As we say around these here parts, "Stupidity SHOULD hurt!".
"As we say around these here parts, "Stupidity SHOULD hurt!"."
Yes, as a mean to cleanse the genes pool.
Same thing as the idiots trying to disassemble railways copper cables, ... only they forgot what 20kV + hundreds Amps can do to the human body.
I don't think anyone mourn them.
Okay, I raise you and link the second quarto (bottom of the left-hand page), which is the only early version in which the phrase actually appears. It's clearly "Hoiſt with his owne petar" [sic]. There. Are we happy now?
(Apparently, he also "ſhall goe hard", but the less said about that the better.)
@Tom 7
I was once corrected online by a smartarse who explained that the past tense of 'hoist by their own petard' is 'hoist by their own petard', not 'hoisted by their own petard'. I couldn't understand the argument myself, but I was amused to learn petard comes from the Latin pedere, to fart.
I admit I've sometimes been hoist by my own fart.
the deceased found an interesting and perhaps unique way to bring their life to an end.
The award winner doesn't necessarily need to die, he (or she, but those are rare) only has to terminate the possibility to pass his genes to the next generation in an interesting and perhaps unique way. A case in point is this tale about a lobster thief.
NB: By definition a Darwin award winner hasn't procreated yet.
Reminds me of the story of a couple of good 'ol boys who were on their way back from a fishing trip when the pickup they were driving blew the headlight fuse. Apparently they replaced the fuse with a .22 long cartridge (yes, a live one) and were found in the ditch a couple of miles down the road with the driver now being said Darwin award candidate.
If you look into the matter you'll find that many of those experimenting with explosives are missing some fingers.
The problem is creating the charge that is strong enough to set off the actual explosive. These are often substances that have the tendencies to blow-up when you look at them cross-eyed. For instance, during the production of lead azide, which is often used, extremely fragile crystals are formed. At the slightest vibration, the whole shebang flies up in your face.
You may want to watch videos about iodoacetate and what happens once it is dry, alternatively. ;-)
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A co-worker of my father's was holding a tube containing picric acid when it exploded. The man and another chemist in front of him suffered a lot of cuts. Their eyes were fine, for the steel company they worked for was strict about matters such as safety glasses. The fellow who was holding the tube did not lose any fingers, but bits of glass kept working their way out for quite some time.
Why was a chemist at a steel company working with picric acid? I don't think I ever heard.
Probably experimenting with different acids for etching metallographic samples. E.G. certain types of microscopic grain structure. Alternatively, in the days when wet chemistry was the best means of determining composition it might have reacted to indicate the presence of a certain element.
If you look into the matter you'll find that many of those experimenting with explosives are missing some fingers.
Years ago I had an old (~1930s) chemistry book. Not only did it tell you in detail how to make explosives(*) but it had little potted biographies of the chemists who did major research on them. To this day I remember the bio for the chap who researched nitrogen trichloride(**) started "In spite of losing three fingers and an eye …"
(*) To the extent that these days it would attract a charge of possessing material likely to be of use to terrorists.
(**) Nitrogen triiodide's roid-rage big brother.
(**) Nitrogen triiodide's roid-rage big brother.
That got me a ban from school chemistry. Still passed my O-level though. I figured it'd be fun to make some, and leave it to dry along the hallway to the chemistry classroom. I also learned that chemicals with lots of N in them are often just waiting to break their bonds, and be free.
Since then, I've found some fun chemistry YT channels that have been rather educational. And also explained that one of the hazards in chemistry is not forming potentially lethal stuff. I think one of NileRed's videos making something innocuous casually mentioned that an 'oops' could result in producing phosgene.
There's some great stuff on YT, like how fireworks are made. One had a gathering of amateur and semi-pro makers, with a great interview with an ATF agent. Who pointed out they're mostly interested in safety, not spoiling the fun. But I learned about black powder coated rice husks, and that a lot of the chemicals involved in making the effects are quite toxic.
But I have little sympathy for this latest Darwin Award winner. I do wonder if you could make a spoiler ATM which destroyed the bank notes if explosives were used.. But then criminals also cause a lot of damage just yoinking ATMs out of walls with JCBs.
That FOOF article may be from Derek Lowe - and it's well worth a read. Apologies in advance, as I don't know if I can paste direct links...
https://corante.com/things-i-wont-work-with/things-i-wont-work-with-dioxygen-difluoride/
See also "Sand won't save you this time" about chlorine trifluoride, which ranks up there with FOOF.
Seconded! Most of the chemistry went over my head, but it's an entertaining read all the same. It's out there somewhere on the Internet for free, and it's recently been reprinted.
I can't recall the exact wording, but one of the oxidisers that was investigated was "hypergolic with fuels, sand, asbestos and lab assistants"!
I can't recall the exact wording, but one of the oxidisers that was investigated was "hypergolic with fuels, sand, asbestos and lab assistants"!
Chlorine trifluoride.
>>It is, of course, extremely toxic, but that's the least of the problem. It is hypergolic with every known fuel, and so rapidly hypergolic that no ignition delay has ever been measured. It is also hypergolic with such things as cloth, wood, and test engineers, not to mention asbestos, sand, and water —with which it reacts explosively. <<
" a stronger oxidizing agent than oxygen itself,"
" it’s bad enough when your reagent ignites wet sand, but the clouds of hot hydrofluoric acid are your special door prize if you’re foolhardy enough to hang around and watch the fireworks."
" the operator is confronted with the problem of coping with a metal-fluorine fire. For dealing with this situation, I have always recommended a good pair of running shoes.”
Years ago I had an old (~1930s) chemistry book. Not only did it tell you in detail how to make explosives
The first act of domestic terrorism was Guy Fawkes; which failed to go off. After this, we have the Clerkenwell explosion in 1867 which blew up a prison wall killing half the people in a tow of terraced houses next to the prison followed up with an entire bombing campaign in the 1880's.
I'd suggest it probably occurred to the people writing the textbooks that people might decide to blow things up with the knowledge in them, and that it would be convenient if the knowledge was incomplete, and required a shopping list that includes unusual combinations of chemicals that can easily be put on a watchlist.
"that it would be convenient if the knowledge was incomplete"
No. The publications were as accurate as they knew how to make them. Their reputation depended on it.
"that can easily be put on a watchlist."
Again, no. That kind of thing is fairly modern. I remember my grandad and uncles purchasing dynamite over the counter at the local hardware store, no ID required or even asked for. Usually they just bought enough to set off their own mix of ANFO, though ... made a better bang for rolling Redwood stumps out of the ground.
"The first act of domestic terrorism was Guy Fawkes; which failed to go off."
Even Hamlet, which gives us the phrase, predates Fawkes and terrorism wasn't new.
Interestingly (arguably?) the word terrorism back then meant the opposite of what it means now. It used to solely mean state terror against civilians, not citizens trying to blow up the state.
As a teenager I did have a collection of various books on how to make fireworks. Some quite old, and now I cant find them, seriously valuable. You could even work out how to make saltpetre from your own urine if you could a) collect enough of the stuff, b) wait till the crystals grew out of the ground once you'd processed it.Fortunately my dad was a uni prof and we could get hold of that shit without too much difficulty as he liked to play stupid too.
<quote>Years ago I had an old (~1930s) chemistry book. Not only did it tell you in detail how to make explosives(*) [snip]
(*) To the extent that these days it would attract a charge of possessing material likely to be of use to terrorists.</quote>
I had, maybe still have somewhere, a Schoolboy's Pocket Book that contained all this info. It also contained much other useful/useless info. I also remember at least one children's novel that described how to make explosives.
>these days it would attract a charge of possessing material likely to be of use to terrorists
Only on sovereignty island.
Here on the left pond it would be banned because chemistry contradicts the bible.
However you would be able to buy freedom-dynamite at any Walmart.
Money drawers on ATMs protect the bank notes from the explosion, if the amount of explosives is carefully planned: too little and you just alert the neighbours, too much and the building hosting the ATM end on top of you.
Attacks using gas bottles to fill the ATM and blow it up used to be pretty common in southern Europe, bus they seem to have stopped being in the news for some years now.
Might be related to the anti-theft measures put in place, that detonate bags of indelible ink inside those money drawers if a phisical attack is detected.
I guess it depends what the notes are made from.
Here in Oz we have polymer notes that are quite tough and durable - don't crease, don't tear and are (supposedly) difficult to permanently deface ie can be 'cleaned'.
Genuine money laundering, I suppose.
No idea what sort of 'solvent' would be used to remove the indelible ink or whatever.
Must say, I'm quite surprised to see the somewhat large number of blowing up of ATMs across Europe as some sort of 'norm' over there.
I spent 20yrs over there mate, you would be staggered at the level of sophistication, dedication, and organisation of the crime sector.
Australia is bewilderingly open to crime. And ignorant. Eg, myGov urges you every time you log in, to set up login via SMS confirmation. They believe it ADDS security, rather than cracking you wide open for an EU-standard SIM-swap. Truly stratospheric ignorance.
"Must say, I'm quite surprised to see the somewhat large number of blowing up of ATMs across Europe as some sort of 'norm' over there."
Me too! With all those explosive attacks, using construction machinery to rip them out of walls, and all the jackpotting going on, I am wondering just what the actual costs are compared to, you know, having actual banks with people. I know the cost isn't all directly born by the banks. Insurance companies are paying out. And the people paying the insurance costs are the small shops, supermarkets, network operators, supply companies etc I wonder if anyone has done a totalling of the costs involved and a breakdown of who is paying it? (Yes, in the long run, it's you and I paying for it it fees and charges)
@jake - I believe you cannot understand subtlety
@Aussie Doc - I believe it said fiber in the article, not polymer. But I doubt the chemistry-lad is willing to share his process for free
@W.S.Gosset - SMS 2FA if used together with another authentication actually improve security, despite we all know how easy it is to intercept SMS / SIM swap
@John Brown (no body) - God bless the insurance companies. The value is already in place even if there are no withdraws. Those guys are just making their profit smaller
I can show you several new model ATMs (a year old or less) at a couple of Bay Area scrap yards. When they tear down a building or otherwise do demolition to make way for new structure, they'll often pull the ATM, remove some of the electronics (and leftover cash, if any) & junk the rest. It would seem it is far, far easier to install a brand new unit (if wanted) than it is to adapt the old system to the new building.
Anybody can purchase the "gently used" ATMs by the pound as scrap. No ID required.
With Op Systems increasingly short lived I'm not surprised the number you're seeing in scrap.
BOS had NT4 ATMs for well over a decade. Changed a lot more often since 2005.
OS2 was famously a holdout in ATM usage though even that had now moved along.
Anyone would think there was a demand for a stable, PLC grade os kernel with a GUI on top...
> You can just ORDER ATMs???
At least in the US, privately owned (or "Independent Sales Organization") ATMs are somewhat common. Some guy (not a big company) looks for small locations the Big Banks won't bother with, drops a machine, charges a high fee. Near here Carols Market has a no-name ATM, $3, but the nearest real bank is 10 miles away so it is hardly worth going to town, especially at quitting time.
Now I learn that ISO ATMs are useful for money laundering. Large deposits of cash are suspicious. Instead put your drug proceeds into an ATM. Innocent users trade bank credit for your ill-gotten currency, never knowing where it came from. Also if the ATM operator can hack, re-play attacks are possible.
Own your own legit ATMs sell for $2k-$4k: https://bpsands.com/
In Oklahoma the important part of the ATM law is the $50 state tax per machine:
https://oklahoma.gov/banking/institutions-lists/atms-privately-owned.html
Instead put your drug proceeds into an ATM."
Although I've heard of that, I don't think I've ever seen a cash machine that takes cash deposits in the UK. Are they more normal in other countries? Actual physical banks almost always had a "night safe", a chunkey metal one-way hatch/chute thing where deposits could be made, primarily business users who needed to cash-up after the banks closed.
TSB ATMs usually do deposits - you generally need to pick the "more options" button to get to the second menu screen.
It'll give you an envelope to put your paper money or cheque in, I think it then prints your account details on the envelope after you put it back in. Your account isn't credited until the next day after it's been counted.
Here in Alberta, they collect the envelopes, ship them back to Calgary when they might get counted in 2-3 days if lucky.
Made that mistake once with a bank teller assuring me the funds would be counted & credited the next working day, UNTIL I did that & discovered that wasn't the case when on the phone, at least on that instance, I beat the Brinks security to the branch by 5 minutes, so didn't have to wait a further day.
"TSB ATMs usually do deposits - you generally need to pick the "more options" button to get to the second menu screen."
Ah, thanks, that's interesting. I probably have seen one then, but not noticed. I've never had a need to make a deposit like that. The very, very rare occasions I've received a cheque, I just took it to the bank :-)
There are many chemicals that can go boom if not respected. Besides the ones mentioned above perchlorates are notoriously unstable and have a bad habit of going boom in the presence of many organic compounds. A small amount goes a long way. One would assume who makes bombs would know how to properly handle unstable chemicals but there are numerous occasions of bombers blowing themselves up while making a bomb.
Actually there are a handful of specific elements that form compounds that generally go boom in the right conditions, usually those with covalent bonds that are difficult to form [but easy to break], along with plenty of Oxygen that is released in the process, plus fuel like carbon or sulfur. I wouldn't recommend trying any of that, being as I minored in chemistry and understand how dangerous most of them are to make. You often need to do the right thing in the right order at the right temperature (etc.) to avoid an unintended explosion.
Handling explosives (once created) requires expertise if you do not want to lose body parts. Any idiot with the right chemicals can possibly make them and probably blow himself to Mars in the process. It's kinda why home made fireworks aren't legal here.
even low-level stuff (like the 'joke' explosives made with nitrogen and iodine) could potentially do serious damage as it's almost impossible to stabilize when dry [from what I've read].
Cornflower / custard powder can make an fun little chemistry experiment. Or at bigger scale lead to the loss of the silo, factory roof and workers.
Nitram fertiliser in the UK has had a retardant added for a long time to stop certain groups abusing it, and also keep farmers barns intact. What happened in Beirut a couple of years ago is an example of what the pure stuff can achieve.
And yet so many of us walk around with little packets of lithium and oxidiser in our pockets without even thinking about it. Or even sit in a car full of the stuff.
It is easy to demonstrate the explosive nature of flour. Take a five or six foot[0] length of 4 inch[0] PVC pipe. Drill four 3/4" holes around the circumference of one end, about 2" from that end. Place a votive candle on the ground, and put the pipe over it. Light the candle through one of the holes. Dump a scant 1.5 tablespoons (10g) of sifted[1] flour into the open end. On a calm day, the minor explosion[2] can be fairly loud, and the resulting smoke-ring can rise & expand far more than you might think. All sizes are approximate. I've never actually measured anything when doing this, yet it always works despite my lack of care and attention.
NOTE! While I've never had an issue playing with this toy, nor have I ever heard of anybody getting hurt or doing damage to anything, this may be illegal in your jurisdiction. Most such toys tend to get lawmakers upset, probably because they are always vaguely afraid that somebody, somewhere, is having fun. Needless to say, children LOVE it ... and you can sneak a science lesson in without them noticing :-)
Yes, it works with coffee creamer ... but again, you'll get best results if you sift it. Makes a sticky mess all over everything, so you might want to stick with plain old flour.
[0] Of course you know what feet and inches are. Don't be disingenuous, it's not becoming.
[1] If you don't pre-sift the flour, it might fall as a clump & extinguish the candle.
[2] Depending on pipe size, hole size & number, the grind of flour (cake flour vs AP, for example), the quantity of flour, how well it is dispersed, and other variations, the noise can range from a mild "pop" to a dull "thud" to a deep "bang". Experiment. That's what science is for, right?
"You cannot say to a gardener he is not allowed to touch plants."
Actually we do say that for certain plants. I could list dozens of them but this thread is deadly enough. There was a ricin poisoning in the UK about a decade ago and the media were full of stories linking castor seeds to terrorism. Thousands of British gardeners used castor seeds to kill slugs and other pests and so quietly disposed of their stash overnight.
Can't get JCB drivers anymore since we told all the foreigners to p**** off.
And you can't get a visa for a Dutch ATM exploder.
And no British criminals want to do it, not with IR35 meaning you can't claim for the shotgun.
By Christmas we will all be living in Sherwood Forest robbing any Tory MPs with Norman names using bows and arrows.
I live in an area where there were a lot of coal mines and therefore coal miners. This was a time before ATMs. A few of the coal miners hatched a plan to blast a bank's night deposit box to obtain the booty. At least one of the miners knew how to figure out how much explosive was needed for a given blast. So they swiped some explosive from work and executed the plan. They chose a small branch office. They took out the entire corner of the building and there was no booty, but charred deposits flying in the air. The bricks, glass, metal, etc. flew more distinctive ballistic paths and fell to the ground rather quickly.
The incident was responded to by the local police and firefighters. Being this occurred in the US, later the FBI and Secret Service also arrived. It was determined that the miner figuring the explosive charge was adept at blasting rock underground. But, an above ground freestanding building does not present as much buffering mass to contain a blast. Nobody was injured.
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