What is an Improvised Explosive Device attack?
An IED attack, or bomb attack, uses explosives to cause deaths, injuries, and infrastructure damage. Within IED attacks, the scale, containment, deployment technique, trigger system and location targeted can be varied depending on the desired effect, such as assassination, mass casualty or infrastructure disruption. Efforts could be made to disguise a device and novel materials are sometimes utilised with the aim of evading detection.
Methodology
An IED is likely to be employed in one or more of the following ways:
- Used in a targeted attack against an individual. This could include devices that are triggered by the victim such as postal or under vehicle devices, triggered by the attacker (either in person or remotely) or detonated by other means such as a timer.
- Used in a mass casualty attack at a private site, venue or public space.
- Used to attack infrastructure or transport to cause damage, disruption and/or loss.
- To undertake an attack at a distance, and/or to defeat armour.
- As a method for breaching a building or site perimeter, to allow a follow-on attack using other attack methodologies.
- To start a fire as detailed in the Fire as a Weapon guidance.
Within the UK, military and commercial explosives are not widely available to the public and there is regulation controlling access to the chemicals required to make improvised explosives. In addition to the explosive material, a device is likely to contain the following key components: initiator, power source, switch and packaging.
The effects from an IED detonating can include a blast wave, fireball, primary and secondary fragmentation, and a crater. An IED attack could consist of an individual or multiple devices and could be combined with other attack methodologies, for example, vehicle as a weapon or firearms.
Case study
Recent attacks include the Manchester bombing, where a suicide device was detonated killing 22 people, and the new IRA claimed postal campaign in March 2019 where IEDs were sent through the postal system to a number of locations including several transport hubs. In November 2021, an IED was detonated outside of the Liverpool Women’s Hospital. In the recent past, large IEDs have been concealed in vehicles to cause significant property damage alongside casualties, for example the 2011 attacks in Oslo by Anders Breivik which killed multiple people and caused significant damage to the government buildings in the vicinity.
Protective security guidance links
For additional information on protective security options to protect against IED attacks we recommend: