From "Homeland Security Warning: Could a Watch become a Weapon?," from WABC, with thanks to Jeffrey Imm:
According to U.S. intelligence sources, Al Qaeda is trying to obtain watches with a hidden butane lighter and watches with an altimeter built in, that together would be used to bring down commercial airliners.Pan Am Flight 103 was brought down over Lockerbie, Scotland with a bomb that used an altimeter device to set it off. Al Qaeda, according to intelligence sources, is adapting that technology and trying to combine it with the butane releasing watches that are designed to be used as cigarette lighters.
Altimeter watches show how many feet above sea level a plane is. They are inexpensive, though they are not considered terribly accurate. In Pan Am Flight 103, the bomb was set to go off when the altimeter indicated the plane had reached a certain height.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security bulletin specifically mentions Casio altimeter watches as the most readily available, although there are other brands out there. Watches that can be used as lighters are available on the Internet, and are also inexpensive.
This would make two crucial bomb making components easy for Al Qaeda to smuggle onto an airplane.
Watches are expected to make metal detectors go off, they are not given much scrutiny at airports. Richard Reid, who once smuggled a bomb onto a plane in his shoes, showed that the rest is frighteningly easy to get on board as well.
Darn, I guess we can't sell JihadWatches to raise money for the site. And it was such a clever idea.
I’ve read the posts asking for Jihadwatch readers to provide ideas for what we might do to help spread the word. From what I’ve seen so far, there are some great ideas and you have my complete support. I would suggest though that we’d be remiss in our efforts if first we didn’t recognize and show our tangible support and appreciation to Robert and Hugh for running the Jihadwatch site. They’re providing a great service and doing outstanding work--I think we should do what we can to help them continue that work.
With that said, I’M CHALLENGING ALL JIHADWATCH READERS TO DONATE $100.00 (OR WHATEVER YOU CAN) TO JIHADWATCH.ORG AND TO SEND AT LEAST ONE OF ROBERT’S BOOKS TO SOMEONE (FRIEND, FOE, FAMILY, POLITICIAN, ETC.).
There’s a donation link in the left column on the home page and a link at the top of the page for purchasing books.
Any takers?
More likely they would employ this in a bomb in the baggage compartment the same way as the Lockerbie flight rather that carrying it on themselves.
All they have to do to counter this is send every piece of baggage through a hyperbaric chamber prior to departure.If there's a altitude bomb you'll know in a hurry.
JLP
Didn't Yousef (the world trade center bomber) use watches and batteries ect. to create a bomb in an airplane which he left under a seat after the plane landed...I believe it killed a japanese man...maybe someone here knows the whole story in detail. I need to look it up again...maybe it was in "1000 Years for Revenge".
Jihad watches - Hmmm, they certainly are resourceful! One more item that perhaps we won't be allowed to take on airplanes.
Another example of Islamic innovation and creativity - only when it comes to thinking up of ways to commit mass murder, destruction of property and mayhem. Too bad they couldn't channel that energy into something more positive - like dragging their belief system and their people into this century.
Yes, epg, wonderful eh? First our nail scissors, now our watches, and our shoes are double-checked. Soon we'll be flying in our underwear.
I find something incongruous in resorting to butane wrist watches ( I have one of these myself, a pretty useless though curious gadget it is)) to skip airport controls where normal cigarette lighters are allowed that have a larger gas capacity.
I was thinking that a flint knife can be as sharp as a razor and (obviously) it would not make a metal detector go off. There must be many ways they could create new 9/11's - watches being but one.
I think the USA's best defence against terror is simply to eliminate visas for all Muslims.
tick tock tick tock
the mussie had a clock
the clock sruck onKABOOOM
TEACHER: "Little Achmed, what time is it when the little hand and the big hand are both at te top?"
LITTLE ACHMED: "Martyrdom!"