‘Terrorists used plasticisers to bind explosives’

NEW DELHI: : In what could prove to be an alarming trend, terrorists who struck here used plasticisers for the first time in India to bind the explosive ammonium nitrate, says the chief of the National Security Guard (NSG). “We have found traces of ammonium nitrate in the bombs that exploded in Delhi. All sizes of ball bearings and shrapnels were mixed with plasticisers to cause maximum devastation,” said NSG chief JK Dutt.

“I cannot say if the same terror organisation was behind the Delhi blasts, but the composition of the bombs is similar to those that triggered in Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. Bombs recovered in Surat were also of the same composition,” Dutt added.

The NSG chief said, “It is a worrying trend that plasticisers were used as explosive binders. There were no such things used in prior blasts,” he said.

Plasticisers are additives that increase the plasticity or fluidity of the material to which they are added. These include plastics, cement, concrete, wall board and clay bodies.
Asked if RDX was used in the Saturday bombs that exploded in five places killing 21 people and injuring nearly 100, Dutt said, “I cannot confirm this, but enough amounts of explosives were used to cause substantial damage.”

Dutt said a bomb could not be categorised into low, medium and high intensity bombs. It all depended on the areas where the bombs were kept. “Even a small quantity of explosive can cause massive damages in crowded market places or cinema halls,” he said.

The NSG was primarily raised as a Quick Reaction Contingency Force to deal with anti-hijacking, hostage rescue and combating terrorist activities. It also protects high risk dignitaries, conducts anti-sabotage checks at venues of public gatherings and performs Sky Marshal duties in domestic as well international flights.