Comments on: Stratfor’s conspiracy theory

By: V

Wed, 07 Dec 2005 16:26:46 +0000

Putting 500 grams of explosives under a car and igniting it with a remote control is not at all high tech. You can find a remote control kit in any electronic shop and any person with a basic knowledge of electronic will know how to use it.

As a computer engineer, I don’t even need a kit to do this, I coud build the detonator myself for less than 20$, it’s very easy.. Not to mention that you could easily use a cellphone or a garage opener to do this.

By: praktike

praktike — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 15:27:02 +0000

Well, the insurgents are apparently using shaped-charges in Terrorist Boot Camp, er, yanni, Iraq, so maybe everyone’s skills are getting better these days.

By: isti

isti — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 13:17:13 +0000

stratfor is also known for making some pretty ambitious claims that don’t always turn out to be correct. further on in the article, you’ll notice the blame is also spread around to Iran and Rifaat al-Asad, and neither claim is substantiated. Instead, you get “Iran is a terror master” and “Rifaat sure wants that head job.”
While I’m surprised the UPI allowed this to go under their name, it’s somewhat refreshing to see another point of view than just “the syrians, the syrians” put out in the press. because really, the one thing the article is right on is… what do the syrians have to gain?

By: SP

SP — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 13:05:01 +0000

The Washington Times is pretty darn loony-Right.

By: issandr

issandr — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 12:54:18 +0000

Thanks Brian,

I wasn’t suggesting the report was true, rather I was struck by the odd confluence of Stratfor and the Washington Times on something that, if it was printed in the Arabic press, would immediately be dismissed as yet another crazy conspiracy theory.

It would seem to be common sense to me that, in most cases, the kind of technology and knowledge necessary to carry a high-tech assassination is becoming more and more available — after all, that is the case with most technology these days. RadioShack/Dixon’s and enthusiasm probably goes a long way!

By: Brian Whitaker

Brian Whitaker — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 10:29:01 +0000

I wouldn’t give this much credence. The Hariri assassination was complex, at least in terms of organisation, but Kassir and Hawi were both “soft” targets and their assassinations were much more typical of those that occur in Lebanon.
The report says the attack on Hawi was highly sophisticated but doesn’t provide any real evidence to justify that claim.
It seems to have been a very small bomb: damage to the car was relatively light, the driver was only slightly injured and, according to some reports, Hawi did not die instantly.