Ammonium nitrate, the substance more commonly attached to agriculture, has today become an object of terror. It is now confirmed that ammonium nitrate, a widely available fertiliser, was used in the serial blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad. Forensic science experts working on the case told rediff.com that each bomb weighed approximately 6 kg and comprised ammonium nitrate, engine oil, gelatin sticks, concrete shrapnel, pebbles, nuts and bolts. This in turn was connected to an embedded chip which acted as a timer device and helped detonate the bomb.
The use of ammonium nitrate is not new in terror operations. The attack in Oklahoma City, USA, in 1996 and the Bali, Indonesia, bombings of October 2002 involved the use of ammonium nitrate.
Forensic experts say ammonium nitrate is converted into a powerful explosive when it is mixed with fuel as was done in the serial blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad. Ammonium nitrate produces gas in quick time. As the gas expands it causes an explosion. Ammonium nitrate acts as an accelerant which in turn speeds up the rate at which the fuel burns, producing a huge explosion.
Ammonium nitrate is easily available in the market. Transportation of ammonium nitrate would not raise suspicion -- unlike RDX -- as the chemical is not a banned substance. With security on the India-Pakistan border becoming almost impregnable, the transportation of RDX has become next to impossible.
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