Word: blasted
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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There are other opinions, however. Some experts note that sophisticated foreign terrorists sometimes make cynical use of gullible young zealots who are misled as to what they are really doing. Another theory holds that Salameh and/or associates theorized, wrongly but understandably, that the blast would so obliterate all traces of the van that it could never be identified. In that case, leaving a rented van missing and unaccounted for would be the way to arouse suspicion, so that reporting it stolen and demanding the deposit back would be a way of diverting attention. But why rent...
...loosest loose ends is that investigators are not yet sure even what kind of explosive went off in the van. Early reports had them concluding from traces of nitrates found at the blast scene that dynamite had been used. But James Ronay, explosives-unit chief at the FBI laboratory in Washington, says the presence of nitrates in the rubble was "meaningless"; nitrates are contained in exhaust fumes, paint, cleaning materials, foodstuffs and many other substances. Nonetheless, his best guess is that the explosive was in fact dynamite or something similar; the pattern of blast damage is more consistent with dynamite...
...theory is that an unstable explosive was used that went off prematurely -- perhaps when the van was going over a speed bump -- and blew up the bombers along with their bomb. The blast seems to have occurred either on the ramp or at the bottom of it -- not ordinarily a spot where bombers would park, get out of the van and take an elevator up to the street. A foul odor in the crater could point to the presence of bodies in the wreckage, but it could have other causes as well...
...there is nothing to connect Sheik Omar to the deadly blast. No motive. No material evidence. But he has a reputation as one of Egypt's most prominent and radical fundamentalist leaders -- a fiery voice of Islamic holy war who exhorts the faithful to their "religious duty," including the use of violence if necessary. That fame, coupled with suspicions -- but again, no concrete evidence -- of his complicity in a series of murders, has made the blind Muslim cleric a subject of the ongoing investigation...
...core disciples in Egypt for 20 attacks against tourist targets. The most recent, a TNT explosion that ripped through Cairo's Wadi el-Nil cafe, came just 75 minutes after the Trade Center explosion, and investigators are looking into a possible connection. Four people were killed in the Cairo blast, including a Swede and a Turk. Two Americans and a Canadian were among the 18 people injured...