Female Suicide Bombers Prompt U.S. Warning
Homeland Security official says there's no indication of an imminent attack.
Feb. 12, 2008— -- The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have issued a joint assessment, warning security officials and local police about the possibility of women suicide bombers being used as an attack method by terrorists.
According to a Homeland Security official, there is no current threat or intelligence information to indicate plans to use female suicide bombers inside the United States.
The bulletin, distributed to 18,000 law enforcement agencies around the country, follows the Feb. 1 attacks on marketplaces in Baghdad, where two women said to have Down syndrome were outfitted with explosive devices.
The DHS-FBI notice warns that female bombers may use "prosthetic devices that mimic the look of a pregnant woman."
The assessment notes that terrorists "judge this tactic effective" to thwart increased defensive security measures.
"Regardless of delivery by a man or a woman, improvised explosive devices may contain fragmentation or shrapnel, such as nails, bolts, glass fragments, marbles, ball bearings or other small metal pieces," the assessment notes.
The bulletin is a reminder to state and local law enforcement officials following the method of attack at the marketplace in Baghdad.
DHS and the FBI had previously issued several bulletins after the use of female "black widow" suicide bombers in Chechnya, Turkey and Palestine.
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