The threat from 'fertilizer explosives' in the car of a massacre in Las Vegas

Large amounts of ammonium nitrate in Stephen Paddock's cars can form a strong homemade bomb, causing many casualties if detonated.

The suspect Stephen Paddock fired from the 32nd floor of Mandalay Hotel Fly down the crowd of 22,000 music festival attendees Route 91 Harvest in Las Vegas, USA on the evening of October 1, leaving at least 59 people dead .

The explosion uses ammonium nitrate blocks weighing 25kg.(Artwork: US Army).

Security forces found 42 guns and explosives in the hotel room and the suspect's house. In addition, US police also discovered large amounts of ammonium nitrate in Paddock's car. This is a fertilizer compound , but is also a major component of powerful explosives and has been used in many terrorist bombs in the US, according to Business Insider.

Ammonium nitrate is the nitrate salt of ammonia with the chemical formula NH ₄ NO ₃ . Under standard conditions of temperature and pressure, ammonium nitrate exists in the form of white powder or water-soluble crystals. This compound is mainly used in agriculture to make nitrogen fertilizer.

As a strong oxidizer, ammonium nitrate easily produces a strong explosive reaction when combined with fuels such as diesel or kerosene. The mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (ANFO) accounts for 80% of civilian explosives used in North America. In addition, this compound is also used by the US military in large-sized fluorescent bombs, or mixed with TNT to form amatol explosives.

Ammonium nitrate is in a normal state.(Photo: Wikipedia).

Many countries are phasing out or banning the sale and use of ammonium nitrate altogether, fearing it could be used to produce homemade bombs in large quantities. The US Department of Homeland Security is responsible for controlling ammonium nitrate trafficking to ensure this compound is not used in terrorist attacks.

However, every US citizen can buy ammonium nitrate online or an agricultural material supplier if there is proof that it is over 18 years old. In fact, ammonium nitrate has been used in many terrorist attacks in the US and some European countries, the most famous being the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

The bombing scene in Oklahoma City in 1995. (Photo: Wikipedia).

On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, two disgruntled US veterans, activated a homemade bomb block of 2,300kg of ammonium nitrate, 540kg of nitromethane liquid and 160kg of Tovex explosives outside the building. government in Oklahoma city.

This self-made ANFO bomb block has the power to destroy equivalent to 2,000kg of TNT, destroy and damage 324 buildings and 86 cars in a three-kilometer radius, causing 168 deaths, over 680 injuries. This is the bloodiest terrorist incident on US territory until the September 11, 2001 attack.