Who the hell makes a car bomb out of a Mercedes?

[TheWraith]

I would think that if you were building a car bomb, you'd use some old shitbox that you're not going to miss. Same goes even if you stole the thing.

Also, how is it that you're driving along, supposedly with a bomb in the back seat, and you're so out of it that you run into a trash can? Last time I drove with high explosives in my car (Independence Day party supplies) I found it a WONDERFULLY concentrating thing. The alternative is that he was trying to run into the night club, thinking that that would detonate things, a scenario which makes him clearly even less competant.

So what the hell? Is this our new low-water mark for mentally-deficient terrorist wannabees, or just some kind of bizzare coincidence?

[Beelzebud]

1. And who the hell tries to make a car bomb with gasoline?

[MissB]

2. I suppose a mercedes might be less conspicuous

Or maybe they were trying to make a statement.

[gkhouston]

4. Less conspicuous than what? I could see choosing one for capacity, perhaps.

This story smells. I wouldn't be surprised if this is another "terra, terra" that collapses upon closer scrutiny.

[MissB]

6. Oh, I'm even more cynical than that.

Given that the new PM has said what he has on the war on terror.

[Breeze54]

8. Because that's an elite area of London. Perhaps lots of Mercedes there?

:shrug:

[malaise]

17. It won't matter then

I no longer believe them but I have never been gullible. The bottom line is that they have whipped up fear among the population just before the Independence Holiday just as they did last year. Isn't that all they want particularly when things get hot for Bush and Cheney.

They have used the same modus operandi since 9/11. I hope KO replays his compilation of all these so called terra near misses. I say hoax - let them prove me wrong. I have way more credibility than Bushco, Blair or Gordon.

[madokie]

23. If I was a betting man I would bet on it

being another terra, terra that collapses upon itself

[CJCRANE]

3. It depends who's paying.

Bushie's buddies dropped half a mil for 9/11 so I guess a Mercedes here or there doesn't make much difference.

[Tesha]

5. Someone with money to blow. (NT)

[devilgrrl]

7. Saudi's like to drive Mercedes. They have a great affection for terrorism as well.

eom

[moondust]

9. And who would detonate it at 1:30 a.m.?

After most people had gone home for the night.

A Mercedes would tend to arouse less suspicion because of its higher value/status.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Outside a club with its weekly 'Ladies night' - pretty busy at 1:30am

http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKL2992721520070629?src=062907_1346_TOPSTORY_police_find_bomb_in_central_london

[moondust]

12. Seems a bit unusual

that terrorists, normally seeking to maximize the impact of each "event," as in previous attacks on New York/Washington and the Underground, would settle on a relatively small, relatively isolated target like a nightclub and the hardcore drinkers that would be there on a weeknight around closing time. ???

Of course it's possible they looked around and found that to be the biggest bang available to them.

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. What makes you think a central London club is 'isolated'?

Or that 1:30am is closing time? There's no limit on opening times in Britain these days, and the centre of London keeps busy long after 1:30. Haymarket is right off Piccadilly Circus, the centre of London's nightlife, and has been associated with revelry for a couple of hundred years, at least.

We don't know who the bomber was, but there were recordings of clubs being discussed as possible targets by now-convicted Islamic bombers - because they have lots of 'sinful' people in. And nightclubs were bombed in Bali.

[moondust]

26. Relatively so

at 1:30 or 2 a.m. (Tiger Tiger closes at 3 a.m.) The really huge crowds would be gone off the streets nearby by then. A nightclub is an indoor target and the closest they can get with a car is the street. It was not a big fertilizer bomb or anything like that. Kinda dumb.

[T_i_B]

27. Plus, London nightclubs have been terrorist targets before.

The Ministry Of Sound has been mentioned in the past as a target for Jihadi's wishing to strike at western decadence.

I can't really add too much to what you've been saying here as TigerTiger is in a bit of a bling area of the West End and I can say from personal experience that it will certainly not be deserted at that time of night.

[gatorboy]

10. Saudi Sunni money.

But please do not make a fuss. They're our friends! :sarcasm:

[aikoaiko]

14. I bet Volvo will make a commercial with a suicide bomber in a volvo...

...who pushes the bottom and splatters himself all over the inside, but the Volvo stays in one piece preventing the bast from hurting anyone.

Mercedes wouldn't do that kind of commercial, but volvo would.

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. You're thinking of the fake Volkswagen one, surely?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znoCcy7-M4M

It worked quite well as a job advert for the people who made it:

All publicity is meant to be good publicity, but Volkswagen bosses are probably not too pleased that a faked advert for the VW Polo was the most forwarded e-mail of 2005, according to the website Bore Me.

The carmaker threatened legal action against the creators of the advert, which spoofed the "small but tough" campaign used to promote the Polo. It showed a man of Middle Eastern appearance driving the car though London before parking and detonating a suicide bomb. The blast is contained within the car’s bodywork, protecting passers-by from injury.

The advert was apparently produced for a demo tape and was never intended for public consumption. Once published on the internet, though, it was seen by millions of people, some of whom mistakenly thought that Volkswagen was behind it.
...
The creators of the Polo advert have since apologised to Volkswagen, and moved into jobs at the Quiet Storm advertising agency.

http://timesonline.typepad.com/technology/2005/12/going_like_a_bo_1.html

[aikoaiko]

19. Now thats funny. Oh well my idea has been "done" I think volvo

did something around the time Princess Diana crashed.

[originalpckelly]

15. You'd think that, and that's probably why it was done.

It was probably rented, or if it is owned, stolen. The last more important possibility is that it was owned by the bomb planter, and that might indicate a dis-interest in it, and either signifying great wealth or that they are suicidal and won't be using it much longer.

[high density]

18. It looked like a 10+ year old Mercedes

It might fit into some people's definition of "old shitbox."

[genie_weenie]

20. Actually, a mercedes would be perfect based on your own reasoning

Who would expect a car bomb to be made out of a Mercedes? Never follow the pattern, this is why profiling is not a "perfect" solution, simply find someone or something which does not conform to the profile.

[tammywammy]

21. They're saying it was reported stolen

And it looked to be a few years older.

So I guess the question should be who steals Mercedes to make a car bomb?

[mduffy31]

22. If the car was a diesel model it would make sense

fill the trunk with fertiliser and let it blow but what this was doesn't make sense.

[spanone]

24. could be a new selling point. blows up better than the competition!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

25. And who the hell makes a time-machine out of a DeLorean

Oh, wait, that was only a movie.

Maybe blowing up a Mercedes is part of the message. Maybe they couldn't find a Bentley to steal.

I'm not sure what kind of bombers these are. Some canisters of butane or propane, some gasoline, and a bunch of nails. Is that really going to send the nails flying at "shrapnel" velocity? It seems like it would just be a giant fireball, with not much explosive force.

[ThomWV]

30. I would if I had either a DeLorean or the stuff to make a time machine.

[ThomWV]

28. If you can't find a Ford with the keys in it this is what you have to do

To succeed in the vast world of terrorism.

[ikojo]

29. A friend who travels a lot for his job says

Mercedes' are just regular cars in Europe. He said they are used for taxis in Germany. Maybe they are not seen as a luxury car over in Europe as they are in the US.

[Clark2008]

33. True - overpriced luxury cars.

I'm sure they're decent cars, but all cars will run well for long periods of time if you take care of them (oil changes, general maintenance, etc.)

I think that's why Beemers and Mercedes are seen as "good" cars. People pay a shitload for them and you'd bet your sweet bippy they take them in for general maintenance procedures which makes them run longer and better.

I had a 1995 Ford Mustang that went 10 years without needing brakes. I didn't have a problem one with it until it hit 11 years old - and then it was just a sensor (but that fucked up it's ability to run; however, I changed the $30 part and it ran fine after). I got rid of it just last year only because I expected it would start having problems soon and I traded it in on another Mustang. The only problem it had was that it needed a clutch. Big whoop.

My Dad has a 1987 Mustang GT that still could kick a lot of ass on the road. All because he takes care of it. My Mom had a 1987 Ford Escort that still ran just fine until a year ago and the engine block finally cracked. It actually wasn't even a bad crack and could have been fixed, but it would have cost $100 more than the car was worth so she ended up just buying another car.

[NNN0LHI]

31. I witnesses this car bomb in a Mercedes explode in 1981. It was the Mafia

http://www.ipsn.org/mob_arrests-2005/where_the_victims_were_killed.htm

11. Michael Cagnoni

Cagnoni, 37, was a well-to-do trucking executive who ran afoul of the mob and knew it. He had hired a bodyguard, carried a gun and wore a bulletproof vest for a while. Still, someone planted a sophisticated bomb under the seat of his Mercedes. It detonated June 24, 1981, shredding his car and killing Cagnoni as he pulled onto the Tri-State Tollway in Hinsdale.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

32. ever see the repair estimates on the rear differential?

Damn, I'd
want to blow it up myself.

the real news is filtering through - these were not dangerous items, except to the cars themselves. they could not blow up.

I can readily be convinced that this was a set up job.

[Hubert Flottz]

34. The haves and the have mores and their Nazi friends...