Read this short article.
Police officer dies after backpack explodes at scene of Spain shooting
An active shooter who was additionally armed with an improvised bomb killed an officer and a police dog and also wounded two more people in Spain today.
If you’ve taken one of my bomb classes, you know all this material. If not, here are a couple high points.
-Traditionally, active killers in places with few firearms restrictions (USA and active war zones) tend to mostly use firearms. In places where firearms are severely restricted, they more often use home made bombs.
This trend is changing somewhat. We are now seeing more combined gun/explosive attacks in lots of areas. The guns generally cause more deaths. The bombs cause more injuries, generalized panic, and garner more media coverage.
In today’s world, if you are responding to an active shooter, you should also be alert for explosive devices. If you are responding to a bombing or bomb threat, be ready to deal with shooters in the evacuation zone. The combined explosive/firearms attack must be at the forefront of your response strategy no matter if you are an armed citizen or a professional responder.
– In the USA right now, killers are mostly using guns. It’s a simple equation. It’s easier for most killers to buy/steal guns and ammo than it is for them to safely make effective explosive devices.
I predict that this strategy will likely change in the future. More future gun control legislation might tip the logic in favor of explosives in coming years. Additionally, killers crave fame and notoriety. More public spaces practicing lock down/evacuation tactics combined with more lawful citizens carrying concealed firearms makes large victim counts more difficult for today’s killer.
I think the killers will start using more explosive devices just because a few people being killed by a crazy guy (sadly) barely makes the news cycle here in the USA. To get the fame and notoriety the killer wants, he will have to increasingly start using explosives and more novel attack strategies.
– The easiest way for a killer to increase his body count is to do one of the following:
1) Booby trap his own body with explosives. When the shooter is neutralized, cops will be searching the body and processing the crime scene. A hidden bomb set to blow up 10 minutes after the shooter dies would also take out a bunch of cops and medics.
2) Place an explosive device in a backpack dumped near where most of the victims have been shot. Again, that tactic targets first responders. This seems to be what the killer in Spain did.
3) Place an explosive device in an obvious casualty collection point or helicopter evacuation landing zone.
4) Place a device where cops/medics are likely to create a joint command post near the shooting scene.
– If you are in the area where shooting breaks out, do not follow large groups of fleeing victims to obvious or designated evacuation zones where the killer might have already left you a surprise explosive gift.
– If you are forced into a large evacuation area or are a first responder attempting to set up a casualty collection point, search the area being considered for explosive devices. Pay close attention to trash cans/dumpsters and any seemingly abandoned bags or luggage.
– If you find a suspected explosive device, always evacuate people away from the device (or get them to cover if they can’t get far enough away) rather than moving the device away from people.
You don’t know how the device is triggered. It could detonate on a timer, or it could be set to go off when moved or opened/disturbed. Don’t move the bomb. Move the people.
This seems to be one of the major issues with today’s attack. The cops were moving the bomb (which was concealed in the killer’s backpack) away from an apartment building full of people instead of moving the people away from the bomb. The bomb detonated during the movement, killing one cop and his dog, as well as blowing another cop’s leg off.
If more information about this attack is disclosed, I’ll write a full article about it. If we don’t hear anything more and the topic has captured your attention, check out my website to find other articles I’ve written about how killers and terrorists use explosives to add to their body counts.
If you do a search on my site for the term “bomb,” you’ll find that I’ve written 99 articles about the topic. Some of my best work is linked below:
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/bomb-threats
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/dont-evacuate-into-a-parking-lot
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/all-about-bombs
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/deconstructing-some-recent-terrorist-bombings
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/the-secondary-device
If you are a first responder who doesn’t know anything about explosives and/or best practices for dealing with explosive threats, I’m happy to help you out.
I teach 2-hour, 4-hour, and 8-hour classes about how to best manage explosive threats and deal with bombs in the context of active killer/terrorist attacks. I’m happy to come teach a class on the topic for your church security team or armed school security group.
Hit me up for details.