Implanted bomb scare: real or propaganda?

The US has begun warning airlines of the possibility of bombs that are implanted inside the human body that can be used at airports and to blow up planes. Such things have been joked about for several years on the internet, but the US now says that it might happen. At the moment, they don’t have any credible sources, just some tips and innuendo. So, should we be worried about body bombs or not?

The department of homeland security has sent a bulletin to airline executives saying it has identified a potential threat from terrorists who could “surgically implant explosives or explosive components in humans”.

“As a precaution, passengers flying from international locations to US destinations may notice additional security measures.”

Experts say the explosives could be implanted in abdomens, buttocks and breasts allowing suicide bombers to pass undetected through airport body scanners. Explosive compounds such as pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) could be implanted, then the person’s wounds allowed to heal, making the material difficult to detect. On board the plane, the material could be detonated by injection.

Are you scared yet? That’s just what the government wants you to be. Terrified. So afraid that you do whatever the government and the TSA at the airport tells you to do.

US officials have been on high alert for terror attacks since US forces killed al-Qaida’s leader, Osama bin Laden in May. They say there is no intelligence about a plot, but US and international carriers are being urged to consider the threat.

So, there isn’t really anything to worry about. This is just one of those “what if” scenarios that the government is thinking about but doesn’t have an credible information about. They just want to force airlines overseas and other countries to beef up security and terrorize people into thinking there is a problem.

The real problem is that many major news outlets are jumping on board to such news and reporting it as if there was a current, serious threat to the airways. The Wall Street Journal’s article details that this is all just wishful thinking at the moment, furthering the fact that it appears the government just wants beefed up security overseas.

The Department of Homeland Security hasn’t warned of a specific plot, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. But the specter of militants carrying bombs within them—perhaps stitched into the abdomen, breasts or buttocks—is prompting additional security measures at U.S. airports and overseas airports serving U.S. destinations, the Transportation Security Administration said in a written release.

Mr. Carney said militants had repeatedly expressed interest in experimenting with new techniques to conceal explosives.

This is propaganda. This is not an imminent threat. It’s not even a potential threat at the moment, yet many newspapers are picking up the story and spreading it as if the next plane to take off is going to be blown up by someone with a body bomb. The truth is, no matter where you go in life, you will never be 100% safe. The only thing the government has done in spreading this story is giving potential terrorists and idea to play with now. Thanks TSA, DHS, and the US government.