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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

Steven (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
#344776: Dec 26th 2020 at 4:25:02 PM

CNN's reporting that the event may be a suicide bombing.

All I see in the article is human remains were found and investigators are suspecting suicide bombing may be what was behind the explosion, but nothing is confirmed yet. Which makes me wonder what the bomber wanted to accomplish with this.

Remember, these idiots drive, fuck, and vote. Not always in that order.
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#344777: Dec 26th 2020 at 4:31:07 PM

> Which makes me wonder what the bomber wanted to accomplish with this.

They had a death wish from the sounds of it

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#344778: Dec 26th 2020 at 4:33:48 PM

A suicide bomber doesn't care about other people's lives and warn them to leave. A suicidal person doesn't concoct such an elaborate and destructive scheme.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#344779: Dec 26th 2020 at 4:35:12 PM

I'm not sure if the human remains thing has been confirmed yet, I've seen sources saying it's only confirmed as human biological matter, which isn't uncommon in an area with bars and restaurants.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#344780: Dec 26th 2020 at 5:26:21 PM

Suicide bombers do not just fit one specific profile. Until we know more about who was behind it, all we can do is speculate. But this is sounding more like a "lone wolf" scenario than a group.

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#344781: Dec 26th 2020 at 6:31:01 PM

As a general rule, an act of terrorism will usually involve some means of informing people what it's supposed to be about or what it's meant to accomplish. Terrorists want their agendas to be known. If you're gunning people down because you're mad about the new Cheetos flavor, you're not accomplishing anything if you haven't written a "New Cheetos Suck" manifesto or something.

That's what's mystifying about this. If it was meant to kill people, then they wouldn't have warned anyone to leave. And if it was meant to make a statement, there would be a fucking statement.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Ayasugi Since: Oct, 2010
#344782: Dec 26th 2020 at 6:35:29 PM

It almost feels like a bombing from a police procedural where uncovering the culprit and his motive is the bulk of the episode.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#344783: Dec 26th 2020 at 6:49:19 PM

My friend suggested it might be a trial run, and that the human remains were supposed to lead people to assume that the bomber killed themselves and this is over.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
KZN02 The Master of Tediousness (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
The Master of Tediousness
#344784: Dec 26th 2020 at 6:54:09 PM

I thought it was some disgruntled AT&T employee or a 5G conspiracy theorist. Only 3 people were injured albeit not critical and the most significant damage was done to telecommunications.

Edited by KZN02 on Dec 26th 2020 at 6:57:50 AM

With a '0', not an 'O'
RedSavant Since: Jan, 2001
#344785: Dec 26th 2020 at 6:56:44 PM

That seems like baseless speculation to me, especially considering that that would still require procuring human remains somewhere to plant them in the truck before detonation.

No offense to your friend, Tobias, but.

It's been fun.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#344786: Dec 26th 2020 at 7:35:34 PM

Covering up a murder as a suicide is classic mystery novel stuff, but getting rid of the evidence by detonating a truck bomb in the middle of a city is a bit overkill and probably wouldn't get past an editor. That said, unless there's usable DNA, it's very unlikely that whoever or whatever was in the truck will be positively identified.

The location of the bombing suggests an attack on infrastructure. The warning to get away suggests that killing people was not the objective. The lack of any sort of claim of responsibility means that the motive isn't meant to be publicly known. This is not the typical way that terrorists operate. I'm not ruling it out, but it's very unusual.

The sophistication of the attack makes a lone wolf scenario very unlikely. This isn't the movies: such people are not diabolical masterminds, but planning something like this takes time and resources not available to your average loner in a basement. I'm also highly skeptical that it's an elaborate suicide — it makes no sense to do so by blowing up a city street and it was awfully considerate to warn people first.

This one has me baffled. Let's see what evidence turns up.

Edited by Fighteer on Dec 26th 2020 at 10:41:15 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#344787: Dec 26th 2020 at 7:37:20 PM

Maybe the bomber just screwed up the timing somehow and blew it up before being able to escape.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#344788: Dec 26th 2020 at 7:42:10 PM

I don't think so. The RV was broadcasting a text-to-speech warning counting down to the detonation. You think someone's going to set that up and then stick around at ground zero?

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#344789: Dec 26th 2020 at 8:03:00 PM

I also can't help but wonder if Christmas was chosen because the attacker assumed most businesses in the area would be closed, thereby reducing the number of possible casualties.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#344790: Dec 26th 2020 at 8:06:42 PM

This feels oddly supervillain or deliberately attention getting wise.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#344791: Dec 26th 2020 at 9:19:56 PM

Truck bombs aren't that hard to make. A group is more likely to have instrumental reasons for doing something like this than an individual, who is just as likely to be crazy. This looks like a very elaborate form of suicide, dressed up as an act of terrorism.

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
Resileafs I actually wanted to be Resileaf Since: Jan, 2019
I actually wanted to be Resileaf
#344792: Dec 26th 2020 at 9:55:27 PM

Well, I think we can all agree that whatever the motives behind this were, they're going to end up being really weird.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#344793: Dec 26th 2020 at 9:58:53 PM

And/or very stupid.

Disgusted, but not surprised
RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Altris from the Vortex Since: Aug, 2019 Relationship Status: Not caught up in your love affair
Pendrake That Guy from "Sweet Something of.... Someplace!" (Canada) Since: Jan, 2017 Relationship Status: Betrayed by Delilah
That Guy
#344796: Dec 27th 2020 at 1:40:47 AM

Speaking of Suicide Bombers, this does remind me of that time in Israel when several Truck Bombers blew themselves up because of Daylight Savings time being observed differently between where they started out and the target.

Edited by Pendrake on Dec 27th 2020 at 1:41:16 AM

Semper Fi. Semper Paratus. Vigilo Confido.
CookingCat Since: Jul, 2018
#344797: Dec 27th 2020 at 3:37:41 AM

[up] I remember seeing that on 1000 Ways to Die.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#344798: Dec 27th 2020 at 6:18:08 AM

Incidentally, since some pages back we were discussing copyright bills, it seems like there are three bills under discussion:

The first two appear to be part of the COVID-19 funding bill that is waiting for Trump's signature; the third apparently not.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#344799: Dec 27th 2020 at 6:19:37 AM

As if the Nashville news wasn't bad enough, millions are going to lose their unemployment benefits and rent protection because Trump refused to sign the COVID relief and spending bill.

My take: Despite asking for $2,000, Trump doesn't care about improving the lives of struggling citizens. He's doing this solely to get back at Mitch for not backing his "the election was stolen from me!" nonsense, and also being petty and vindictive enough to leave Biden with a big problem once he takes office: Potentially millions more homeless.

Edited by speedyboris on Dec 27th 2020 at 8:24:33 AM

Kaiseror Since: Jul, 2016
#344800: Dec 27th 2020 at 6:27:37 AM

[up] Wasn't he the one pushing for 2000 earlier?

[up][up] It's the last one that concerns me the most. Mainly because it could very well endanger the many people who use the internet to make a living. I've been told that it's unlikely to pass since it needs both the house and senate to agree and that the democrats won't go for it but I'm worried that they won't take it seriously enough and put it through without really thinking.


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