The Central security agencies had raised alarm in January over a fresh modus operandi emerging among terror groups based abroad, particularly in the West Asian countries, of using magnetic strips to attach an IED to attack the target vehicle. The “sticky bomb” has been used recently, particularly in attacks in Iran in the last two years. The IB in January had shot off a detailed missive to all police forces across the country about such fresh techniques being employed by terror outfits based in West Asia.
The IB’s letter had come soon after the killing of a nuclear scientist in Iran when assailants on motorcycles attached a “sticky bomb” to his vehicle and detonated it seconds later. Apart from this, the IB also received inputs from a foreign intelligence agency last month which cited details of the fresh modus operandi and called for vigil against such attacks. Apart from warning against the use of “sticky bombs’’, state police forces have also been warned against Vehicle-borne IEDs (VBIEDs) being used by global terror outfits. VBIEDs are devices that use a vehicle as the package or container of the device. The IB had warned that the fresh modus operandi being employed by suspected global terror outfits cannot be ignored and called for strict vigil.