If explosives expert Ad van Riel takes a good look at the photos that the hostage taker looked at last night AT5 appte, then according to him it seems that the bomb belt of the hostage taker in the apple store was not harmful. The wrapper around the explosive corresponds to that of excercise plastic explosive: a substance used in military exercises.
Ad van Riel doesn’t dare say it for sure. “For example, it could be that he used a real explosive, which he then wrapped in a different wrapper. But these are probably explosives that are being practiced. In that case they are not dangerous.”
“As a connoisseur you look at this differently, but for a layman it is of course very real”, Van Riel understands. “He doesn’t recognize such a wrap.”
Practice Explosives
According to Van Riel, real explosives are easier to obtain. “You can often easily make those yourself. You only get practice explosives by stealing them. That stuff is really only used for exercises. You could only take them there by secretly taking it home from there. “
The police said in a press release that the hostage-taker was carrying explosives, but that the material was not yet “armed”. “It is not entirely clear to me what the police mean by the latter”, Van Riel indicates. “An explosive is only armed when all parts in the explosion chain are connected. If you walk around with this kind of stuff and it would be real, you don’t need much to activate the explosives.”
Question mark
Van Riel remains cautious with conclusions. “I’ve taken it for granted, but haven’t delved into what actually happened yet. It is clear that he has brought something about, but what really has been his goal is a big question mark for me. Because if you want to rob an Apple Store, it’s better not to have explosives with you.”