Sri Lankans glued to their televisions and then on their phones, have replayed the final moments of not one but nearly half a dozen suicide bombers in the past few weeks. Armed with tell-tale signs and clues a whole nation is now on the lookout for ‘several more’ terrorists. Do we really know how to spot a suicide bomber? Here’s the closest profile of a suicide bomber:
- Suicide bombers, as in the case of recent attacks, may be in a hypnotic state, highly focused on entering heaven. This may translate into steely focus and confidence. Unlike others around them, they make little eye contact, may not be interested in even the opposite sex, unless intercepted.
- They may walk intently towards a specific target or destination; and may seem to be whispering or talking to themselves even though some ordinary people too tend to talk to themselves or on a mobile device.
- Most would-be bombers will have a higher body temperature and may sweat profusely.
- Higher percentage of suspects may be young, strong and educated – possessing the physical, mental and tactical prowess required for the world’s ultimate job.
- About a quarter of suicide bombers on record were reportedly between the ages of 24-48. The list has included few children and women, too.
- At opportune times, they may make a great effort to blend in, making it look a bit unnatural.
- If carrying a heavy backpack, the heaviness may be able to be judged by the rather long steps they take, often with each leg extended forward, in order to balance the upper-torso weight.
- On their final journey you should not expect a jihadist to have the trademark long beard or long hair. In fact, the would-be bomber is likely to have shaved and cut his hair short. Sometimes, you may just be able to tell if a man has just shaved his beard after a long spell.
- Peculiarly, suicide bombers were said to have used heavy perfume – herbal or floral, just to prep them for their arrival in heaven.
Even though we take overt precautions in the aftermath of devastating tragedy, humans tend to forget and quickly get on with their lives. This we should not. Meanwhile, suspicion can also lead to trouble, often victimizing innocent people. So exercising caution is crucial.
How to stop a suicide bomber!
Let’s say you think you just spotted a suicide bomber. What do you do?
- Extreme caution is the rule of the thumb. You could be wrong and may endanger an innocent civilian. On the other hand, if you challenge the suspect, you may force a detonation.
- Once suspicion seems valid, observe to see if the suspect is likely to have reached its target. If the situation does not permit you to safely alert others, quickly walk away. If more people observe and do likewise, that’s the best action.
- Alert authorities as soon as you can.
- At times like these, it may be handy to learn and teach the theory of deduction. Attention to detail, quick thinking and commonsense may just save the day.
- Not all bombers detonate the explosives with a hand-held device; there may be a second operative within eye-sight. All advantages are loaded against the victims, so it is a desperately difficult scenario. There’s very little one can do but it’s good to keep the options open.