Vigilance and intelligence will always be the best weapons against terrorism. But it may possible to make it harder for terrorists to turn one readily available chemical into bombs. Ammonium nitrate, a widely used fertiliser, has been used in several IRA attacks, the World Trade Center bombing in New York in 1993, the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and the Bali bombing in 2002. The massive bomb found outside the US embassy in Karachi, Pakistan, on Monday also contained the chemical, according to some reports. Millions of tonnes of ammonium nitrate are produced each year for use as a fertiliser. Mining companies turn small quantities into an explosive by mixing the chemical with fuel oil. While it is not necessarily easy for would-be bombers to do this with fertiliser-grade ammonium nitrate, it is not impossible. Full Story
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