‘Splodey Escalation Thursday
Let’s lead off with a significant escalation on our border:
Antonio Céspedes Saldierna, 74, a Texas rancher who worked on both sides of the border, was driving near his ranch in Tamaulipas, Mexico, just south of Brownsville, Texas, when he was killed by an IED, KRGV-TV reported.
Also killed was Horacio Lopez Peña. Ninfa Griselda Ortega, Lopez’s wife, was hospitalized with injuries.
In a statement, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said the deadly explosion was part of a “growing threat posed by cartel activity along our southern border.” He encouraged ranchers and those who work near the border to “exercise extreme caution.”
One suspects that a few bits of barbed wire would not stop IED-planters from depositing same on the US side, too.
Government officials in Tamaulipas recently warned of explosive devices on rural roads near the border between Reynosa and Rio Bravo.
In a statement, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said the deadly explosion was part of a “growing threat posed by cartel activity along our southern border.” He encouraged ranchers and those who work near the border to “exercise extreme caution.”
“I encourage everyone in the agricultural industry to stay vigilant, remain aware of their surroundings, and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. Additionally, you can avoid dirt roads and remote areas, refrain from touching unfamiliar objects that could be explosive devices, limit travel to daylight hours, stay on main roads, and avoid cartel-controlled regions,” said Miller. Fox News
Gotta wonder about a Texas pol telling ranchers to avoid dirt roads…has he ever BEEN to this state? A little tone deaf there.
Seems to me that if flooding the country with illegals, and killing thousands of Americans with drugs wasn’t sufficient to officially declare the narcocartels as terrorists, planting IEDs for civilians to run over should certainly qualify.
And in Mediterranean news, two oil tankers which had recently called at Russian ports suffered damage when explosives, believed triggered by timers, went off.
At least five vessels have been damaged, including explosions on the Greek-managed tankers Seacharm and Seajewel which Reuters reported last week. The incidents have raised concerns of a new security threat in the typically safe waters of the Mediterranean, just as the shipping industry is dealing with attacks in the busy Red Sea route.
It is not clear who is responsible for the alleged attacks. The vessels had recently called at Russian ports, according to ship tracking data and sources.
Limpet mines are cheap, easily attached magnetically to ships’ hulls, and effective.
The location of the blasts on the vessels’ hulls, the type of blast and other evidence suggest limpet mines, said the sources who had knowledge of the matter but who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“Strong indications suggest that BPM 1 or BPM 2-type limpet mines were used,” one of the sources said. The source was referring to explosives used on the Searcharm and Seajewel, which were damaged in the Mediterranean in January and February.Reuters
Needless to say, the BPM mines are Russian in origin.
It is donut-shaped with 11 magnets mounted on its base. The mine is detonated when its spring-loaded striker is released and impinges on the detonator. The striker is retained by two lead strips, which, because of the spring tension, fail by metal fatigue. Arming occurs after 5 to 20 minutes, and detonation occurs between 5 minutes and 832 hours. James Madison University
Not exactly a precise timing system, but 2.8 kg of Tritonal against your hull is not gonna help its waterproof qualities any.
