Anatomy of a Letter Bomb

AN Israeli defense expert, whose specialty happens to be explosives, recently received a small package in Tel Aviv bearing the return address of a relative in Beersheba. His training saved his life. Ripping the package open, he suddenly realized that he had exposed and activated a minuscule plunger that even then was moving toward an equally minute detonator. In a split second the man slammed his hand down and stopped the plunger. Then he carefully carried the package to an automobile he summoned and had his driver take him to a nearby military base. The remaining contents of the package included four ounces of plastique filled with tiny metallic slivers.

The letter bombs mailed to Israeli officials on four continents last week were far more sophisticated, difficult to detect and dangerous for even an expert to make. In some of those intercepted and analyzed, the explosive was a powder, probably TNT; in others the charges were two thin strips of plastique explosive scarcely five inches long. Developed in World War II, plastique is a mixture of Hexogen, TNT and rubber compound that can be molded into any shape and is safe and stable until detonated. It can even be rolled sheet-thin to look like typewriter paper, written on, rolled or folded.

If one of the letters is torn open, a tiny spring hits a detonator little larger than an aspirin, which explodes the plastique. The whole thing can weigh less than an ounce and be scarcely one-eighth of an inch thick. But its lethal range can be three feet.

In other forms of letter bombs, the act of opening the envelope or removing the "letter" ignites a fuse or scratches a percussion cap that ignites the explosive. Still others explode as soon as the contents are exposed to air. The most deadly thing about any of them, however, is their innocence. All of those spotted last week were individually and specifically addressed. Handwriting is customarily used in such cases instead of printing or typing, in order to allay any suspicions the victim might have. Often the letter bears the home address and forged handwriting of someone the recipient knows. To make sure the bombs get the right man, the labels are sometimes marked "personal and confidential."

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