Experts in a bind over use of bomb in Glorietta blast – report

Was it a bomb or not? As investigators scour through pieces of evidence on Friday’s bloody blast that killed 10, and injured 113, explosive experts remain in a bind on whether bomb caused the explosion at Ayala Center’s Glorietta 2 mall in Makati City.

Radio dzBB on Saturday reported that experts from the Philippine Data Bomb Center (PDBC) saw no indication that a bomb caused the blast, after they tested 15 swab samples from the mall’s second and third floors.

The report quoted Abraham Tecson of the Scene of the Crime Operation team of the Southern Police District as saying that the swabs came from a partly burned plastic bag found near the park way of Glorietta 2.

The same report quoted the PDBC’s deputy chief, Major Raynold Rosero as saying that investigators did not find scraps or traces of bombs from the piles of debris at the explosion site.

Earlier, a chemist from the Philippine National Police’s Crime Laboratory said residues of RDX or royal demolition explosive, a main component in making C-4 military grade plastic explosive, were found on the site.

However, DzBB quoted Rosero as saying that it could not be hastily concluded that a bomb was used in the blast just because RDX residues were present in the explosion site. The report said that aside from being a C-4 ingredient, RDX is also used for pharmacological products.

According to RDX @ 3Dchem.com, RDX was “widely used during World War II, often in explosive mixtures with TNT such as Torpex."

It said RDX was also used in one of the first plastic explosives, and “is believed to have been used in many bomb plots including terrorist plots."

DzBB also quoted Rosero as saying that the explosion that took place last Friday was of “high order," which meant that the estimated 10 kilograms of explosives all blasted without a trace, thereby erasing possible proofs that a bomb was used in the blast.

Blastgard International said “high order explosion," are composed of high explosives “capable of detonating and are used in military ordnance, blasting and mining."

It said high order explosions have "a very high rate of reaction, high pressure development, and the presence of a detonation wave that moves faster than the speed of sound." - GMANews.TV