Girls may have used 'internet bomb' in fatal house blast

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There are several possibilities, one of which is that this was a home-made bomb. The methods for making these liquid explosives are all over the internet

Man killed after mysterious liquid is poured through letter box

Saturday, May 10, 2008

A group of teenage girls may have blown up a rival's home, killing her neighbour, with a liquid bomb they researched on the internet after row over a boy.

Former classmates of Charlotte Anderson, 17, are being sought by police after the blast destroyed her apartment and two neighbouring houses in Harrow, northwest London.

Police said that a purple liquid had poured through the letter box hours before the blast. Miss Anderson suffered serious injuries and Emad Qureshi, 26, her neighbour, was killed in the explosion at 9.30pm on Wednesday.

She was rescued from the rubble and is being treated for injuries. Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton said Miss Anderson was the likely target of the attack.

Earlier the teenager had called police to complain that a group of girls were threatening her. Miss Anderson reportedly told police that a foul-smelling purple liquid was poured through her letterbox between 9am and 11am. Around ten hours later there was a massive blast.

Detectives believe that the explosion could have been caused a home-made bomb, which can be made using instructions found on the internet.

A police source said: "There are several possibilities, one of which is that this was a home-made bomb. The methods for making liquid explosives are all over the internet. They could went and looked them and made them quite easily.

“We have seen with recent terrorism trials that there are plenty of things on the internet however this would be a disturbing development if a gang of teenage girls has decided to settle a dispute in such a dramatic and tragic way.”

Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton said: “A strong line of inquiry for us at the moment is the dispute, this call at the address and of course the substance put through the letterbox.

"There may well be a connection between this liquid and the cause of the explosion that happened. If it were a volatile liquid and in a confined space, it could evaporate into an explosive mixture.

“They are obviously people she knows, who were there to do her some harm. Whoever did this, if it is what we think it is, it was targeted. It was not a random person going around blowing up flats in Harrow.

"They may not have intended to cause this amount of damage.”

Forensic experts were last night hunting for clues to the cause of the blast but were unable to access the epicentre, believed to be 21 Stanley Road.

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An explosives expert said the liquid could also have been agricultural diesel which causes an explosive vapour cloud if left in a confined space for several hours.

Professor Hans Michels, from Imperial College London: "If this was diesel that was left for 10 hours then it would fill a large area, which definitely could cause a huge explosion. Something as simple as central heating going on or a tiny spark could be enough to set it off."

Results of a post-mortem examination on the body of Emad Qureshi are due to be released.