Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the pressure wave generated by the blast. If you hear an explosion, you
must overcome your initial reaction to run to the window and look out-
side and instead drop to the floor, under a desk if possible. Do not
attempt to stand up and run until after the effects of the blast reach you
and blow out the windows.
Another word of caution is warranted. The Israelis learned the painful
lesson that often terrorists plant two or more explosive devices in the same
general area. The first device detonates. After the initial shock, police,
rescue workers, and additional civilians rush to the scene and try to help
the victims. The bombers watch from a safe distance until they are satis-
fied with the number of people at the scene, then they remotely detonate
the second device. This is a no-win situation. Very few people can suppress
their humanity and allow fear to prevent them from helping the wounded.
If possible, try to allow trained professionals to secure the area before
you rush in. This type of dual explosive attack is also being used to kill
civilians who survive an initial attack and then run to seek cover in the
closest protected area. It is a favorite tactic of groups like Hamas, which
routinely try to kill additional civilians in Israel in this way. The bombers
plant the first explosive device in an area calculated to kill the greatest
number of people. They place a second device in an adjacent area to
which the survivors would be likely to run to to seek shelter. The terror-
ist murderers watch from a safe distance until enough men, women, and
children have reached the area of presumed safety and then detonate the
bomb with a simple cell phone call to a phone attached to the device.
Make sure that you factor this information in to any part of your Emer-
gency Response Plan (see Chapter 14) that deals with evacuations and
bombings.
There have been more than 75 suicide bombings in Israel over the last
two years. Each of these attacks has been extensively analyzed to allow the
Israeli police and intelligence agencies to come up with a profile of sui-
cide bombers, which can be used to detect such bombers before they can
strike. An Israeli journalist named Etgar Lefkovits
1
wrote an interesting
piece on this very subject for the
Jerusalem Post.
He reported that the first
40,000 copies of the bomber profile brochure were released to the gen-
eral public after months of debate about whether the information would
benefit the public or just allow terrorists to review their methods of infil-
tration and disguise and come up with new ways to deliver their deadly
explosives. After six months of debate, the police and Israeli government
decided it would be more advantageous to disseminate the information to
