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Source: FBI; AP
Cell phones found during the investigation of the recent terrorist bombing in Saudi Arabia were rigged to detonate explosives by remote control, the FBI said Wednesday, urging U.S. law enforcement officials to be on the lookout for such devices.
The modified cell phones turned up during searches in Saudi Arabia following the May 12 bombing in Riyadh that killed 35 people, including nine Americans, according to an FBI bulletin.
Although the FBI said it has no information indicating cell phones would be used by terrorists in the U.S., the bulletin urged local officials to take several precautions if a suspected device is found. Officers should “immediately evacuate the area to a minimum distance of 300 yards.
Radios, cellular telephones and pagers should not be used within 50 feet of the suspected device,” the bulletin said. Officers should also note that terrorists have used pagers and radio systems to detonate bombs by remote control.
The bulletin includes details of how a cell phone can become part of a deadly bomb. When the phone receives an incoming call, “the electrical power from the telephone’s ringer or vibrator activates the bomb’s circuitry” causing an explosion.
The phone or device would include use of a battery, a switch, an initiation device such as a match or a light bulb, conducting wires and explosives.
The bulletin also warns that law enforcement officers without specialized explosives training should never attempt to remove or disable a suspected device.