Posted by Ian , Reader : 92 , 08:21:52
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This blog is an attempt to view recent media reports and street gossip from a scientific and forensic viewpoint.
This is not taking sides, although I oppose the PAD tactics, I am simply examining the evidence.
Firstly tear gas no matter how dispersed, does not and cannot cause skeletal injuries. As the medical reports confirm complete destruction of a limb requires High Explosives (HE).
The first evidence clearly suggested that this HE was being carried in the pockets of some PAD members and accidentally exploded. The photographic evidence supported this. HE will explode if near a compression wave, such as a gas canister detonation.
The PAD now countered this by saying the police used homemade bombs. Making HE is a complex industrial process, it is not like "black powder" which can be made from simple ingredients. Making HE requires the use of concentrated sulphuric and Nitric acids, not available at your local store.
In theory the police could break open their bullet cartridges and collect enough powder to make a bomb, but why bother, if they need to do this to kill, then just shoot the bullets, in any case it still would not be HE. The charge in a bullet is a propellent rather than an explosive.
Now the story grows, the police are using M26 antipersonel grenades, Now the fragmentation pattern and range of the M26 is very precisely known, it is basically the standard against which other grenades are compared.
I see no injuries which are compatible with these grenades. By way of illustration, such a grenade lobbed into a crowd would be expected to kill a dozen people, not just amputate a leg.
So I am left with a dilemma, as both a scientist and an ex soldier, the facts being presented to not make sense. Now I would expect the antagonists on both sides to lie, this is normal. However, the media seems to be swallowing and printing the gossip and rumours as if they are gospel fact.
In conclusion there are four possibilities;
my scientific and military knowledge is completely wrong.
The media knows facts that I don't.
The media doesn't know its head from its arse.
The media is lying.
I leave it to you to decide.