Not just for making chicken

Pressure cookers help make good bombs and clues

WASHINGTON (AP) — In kitchens, they prepare food faster, but pressure cookers by their very nature help make good bombs, amplifying the blast and the carnage.

They don't just hold the explosives. The tightly sealed pot that speeds the cooking of beans and meat makes easier-to-obtain but weaker explosives faster and stronger. And they may also help investigators find out who built the deadly homemade bombs that exploded at the Boston Marathon on Monday.

Investigators found fragments of BBs and nails, possibly contained in a pressure cooker, said Richard DesLauriers, the FBI agent in charge in Boston. He said the items were sent for analysis.

If a pressure cooker was used, it probably cost around $100 to construct, say former federal forensic and explosive investigators. It's like a pipe bomb but bigger and more powerful.

Pressure cooker bombs are more often used in Afghanistan, Pakistan India, and Nepal — where the pots are more commonly used for cooking. But they have also been prominent in bombings and attempts in the United States, especially in New York in Times Square in 2010 (Christine note: FaisalShahzad ) and Grand Central Terminal in 1976. (Christine note: ZvonkoBusic )

In Al Qaeda's online magazine, there's even an article titled: "Make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom" by "The AQ Chef." It mentions, even recommends, pressure cookers, noting that weak explosives only work with the high pressure of a cooker or sealed pipe.

The Smoking Gun has a very informative post regarding these types of Bombs. Including copies of Federal Government and law enforcement documents warning of these types of bombs.

Looks like it would be a good read.


Jim Hoft over at Gateway Pundit is also discussing this topic here.