VBIED
Definition
Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device. Pulwama 2019 is the recent Indian reference case (RDX plus ammonium nitrate).
- Full term
- Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device
- Indian reference case
- Pulwama attack, 2019
- Explosive used (Pulwama)
- RDX combined with ammonium nitrate
- Investigative focus
- Vehicle identification and explosive residue analysis
Common questions
Why are VBIEDs particularly destructive compared with person-borne devices?+
A vehicle can carry a far larger explosive charge than a person can, and its metal body and fuel can add fragmentation and secondary fire effects to the blast. This combination of scale and secondary hazard is why VBIEDs are used against hardened or high-value targets.
What evidence specific to the vehicle itself helps investigators after a VBIED attack?+
Fragments of the vehicle identification number, chassis parts, and engine components often survive the blast and let investigators trace the vehicle's registration and purchase history, which frequently leads back to the individuals who acquired or modified it.
Related terms
- Diphenylamine Test
- Color test for nitrates and nitro groups. Diphenylamine in conc. H2SO4 turns deep blue with oxidising NO3-/NO2-. Also a primer-residue test, which...
- GC-TEA
- Gas chromatography with a Thermal Energy Analyser. Pyrolytic cleavage of the nitro group to NO followed by chemiluminescent reaction with ozone. Nitro-specific,...
- IMS
- Ion Mobility Spectrometry. Drift-tube separation of gas-phase ions at ambient pressure. Smiths IONSCAN 500DT and Sabre 5000 give 5-second field screening on...
- Ion Chromatography (IC)
- An analytical technique that separates and quantifies anions and cations in solution. In post-blast residue analysis, IC detects nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, and...
- Janowski Test
- Color test for nitroaromatics. Sample plus DMSO plus alcoholic KOH gives a violet Meisenheimer complex. Positive for TNT, picric acid, tetryl and...
- Modified Griess Test
- A contact-transfer colour chemistry test for nitrite-containing propellant combustion residue. Sulphanilic acid undergoes diazotisation with nitrous acid (from NO2 on the target...
- Post-Blast Residue (PBR)
- Unconsumed explosive plus reaction by-products left at the seat of an explosion, on debris, on fragments and on the hands or clothing...