ABSTRACT
Though circumstances can propel terrorists to innovate, they have proven to be strongly reliant on familiar tools to inflict harm and induce fear. For a while, kidnappings, airline hijackings and armed attacks were often terrorists’ tools of choice, but in the past decade terrorists have turned most often to the use of bombs. Whether placed in vehicles (e.g. trucks, boats), planted by the roadside and triggered remotely or strapped to individuals intent on sacrificing their lives, the statistics about bombs tell the tale. The terrorist use of bombs was so preponderant from 1997 to 2006 that bombings comprised 12,806 out of a total of 23,135 attacks, just over 55 percent of all attacks. Moreover, bombings were more than twice as prevalent as the next most frequently employed terrorist method of attack, the use of guns. 1
