TerrorismProtection against Terrorist Attacks with Homemade Explosives

Published 4 August 2020

Terrorist attacks often feature the use of homemade explosives. For the police and security forces to be able to take appropriate precautions and assess the damage after an attack, they need access to the right kind of tools. Researchers have now developed a sophisticated risk-analysis system to help prevent such attacks. At the same time, the software-based system assists with the forensic investigation of such incidents.

Terrorist attacks often feature the use of homemade explosives. For the police and security forces to be able to take appropriate precautions and assess the damage after an attack, they need access to the right kind of tools. A research team from the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institu,( EMI), has now developed a sophisticated risk-analysis system to help prevent such attacks. At the same time, the software-based system assists with the forensic investigation of such incidents. It can therefore support the police foil attacks with homemade explosives and protect the public at major gatherings and other events.

In recent years and decades, there have been many terrorist attacks in the EU that have involved the use of homemade explosives. Not only are the materials for such explosives readily available, but the resulting devices – which can differ substantially in construction and size – can be easily deposited almost anywhere. While homemade bombs are a constant threat, the actual risk posed by an explosive device may vary significantly. In order to protect people at major events such as Christmas markets or city marathons, the police need to be able to analyze this risk in advance. On the other hand, when it proves impossible to prevent an attack, forensic experts are called in to assess the level of damage and gather evidence for a future court hearing. Here, it may be necessary to perform a reconstruction of the explosion, which is costly and time-consuming.

A Software Tool to Fight Terrorism
Researchers from Fraunhofer EMI working on the SUSQRA project have therefore developed a software that analyzes and quantifies the expected damage from a homemade bomb with almost no need for reconstruction. This gives the police a system that helps not only with the prevention of an attack but also with the forensic assessment of the potential damage. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and coordinated by VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH.