Far too little attention has been paid to what terrorists CANNOT do. Hopefully that part of the terrorism matrix will be covered better in the future as the media and public mature in their understanding. Just because some analyst can posit a possibility does not mean that there is any likelihood of a particular type of attack. In the counterterrorism business we can script a radiological attack with unobtanium, but when terrorists can't lay hands on unobtanium the issue is moot. Shaun Waterman's piece is a good start on the process of publicly and properly evaluating the abilities of terrorists. (For the record and transparency, I know and respect Mr. Waterman and his work.)

Interesting bomb knowledge, but does not seem very important.

Not much of a story here. Just a tease for Risk Managment client report. Lacks details as to why an air-fuel bomb is difficult to make. Lacks information on frequency of attempted terrorist use. Were I an editor I do not think I would run with this story now, It would look like I took and re-wrote a PR release from Risk Management, instead of doing my own story.

We use Bunker C, gasoline, kerosine, and diesel in our engines because it is hard to ignite outside engines. Religious fervor doesn't change the physics of phase and the chemistry of combustion.