- Royal Navy divers help clear Baltic Sea of unexploded ordnance during Exercise Open Spirit
May 22, 2023
Royal Navy divers are supporting Nato security efforts to recover unexploded mines and torpedoes in the Baltic Sea during Exercise Open Spirit. Specialists from the UK are taking part in a multinational explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) exercise hosted by Latvia, operating closely alongside experts from Estonia, Lithuania, Germany, Belgium, Canada, and the US. Read more… Source: Forces Net
- British explosives and counter-insurgency specialists pass on decades of bomb making know-how to frontline Ukrainian troops
May 22, 2023
In this video Ukrainian troops get a lesson on covert bomb making. British explosives and counterinsurgency specialist pass on decades of know-how to soldiers already well-versed in normal frontline combat. “Killing somebody, blowing up property, we’re showing just how it’s done” – says explosives specialist. But these are not ordinary bombs. These are secret weapons in ...
- UK: Five World War II ordnance shells found along East Sussex coast
May 22, 2023
The Birling Gap Coastguard team said it had been tasked to search for suspected pieces of ordnance at Birling Gap. A spokesperson added: “The team located five old WW2 shells early on Sunday morning (May 21), then came back in the evening on the next low tide to escort the armies bomb disposal to assess ...
- Ripon’s Royal Engineers display equipment and skills on Market Square
May 20, 2023
An impressive display of machinery and skills used by Ripon’s Royal Engineers in many parts of the world can be seen on Market Square until 3pm today. Since 1949, the Engineers have had the Freedom of Ripon and the right to enter the city with drums beating, colours flying and bayonets fixed. They will exercise that right ...
- Ukraine: Mine clearance and tracking down criminals, four-legged “guardsmen” decorated for their dedicated service
May 20, 2023
Animals, as well as people, do defend the country in times of war. The four service dogs, Dzhuki, Irbis, Antei and Odin, have been decorated with medals for their loyal service. They belong to the Eastern Operational and Territorial Unit, as the National Guard of Ukraine reported “In the challenging times of war, when the nation’s ...
- Ukraine: Man injured in Kharkiv region, attempting to neutralize explosive device
May 19, 2023
In the village of Snizhkivka, Izyum district, the Kharkiv region, a man detonated himself on his own yard while attempting to neutralize an explosive object. Oleh Syniuhubov, the Chief of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, reported this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform. Read more… Source: Ukrinform
- UK aid budget cuts have halted vital programmes in Afghanistan
May 18, 2023
The UK’s aid watchdog has raised concerns over cuts to the humanitarian assistance budget that have led to vital projects in Afghanistan being halted or delayed. In its report, published on Thursday, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact highlighted that reductions to the UK’s funding commitment for 2022-23 have resulted in programmes for polio vaccinations and ...
- Crimea Railway Blast Derails Russian Train
May 18, 2023
A Russian freight train carrying grain derailed in annexed Crimea early Thursday in what some media accounts described as an explosion. According to the Baza Telegram channel, which is believed to have links to Russia’s law enforcement agencies, five railroad cars tipped over at around 8:00 a.m. Moscow time near the south-central Crimean city of Simferopol. Read ...
- UK: Doorman planted fake bomb in popular pub and alerts police so he could ‘play the hero’
May 18, 2023
In November 2021, Stephen Edward Oliphant claimed he found a suspicious device in a toilet basin at Wetherspoons pub The Hat and Feathers, in Seaham, County Durham. After raising the alarm and alerting police, the pub was evacuated and a specialist bomb disposal unit arrived at the scene. Read more… Source: The Scotsman
- Spain: Explosion linked to ‘gender-based violence’ kills two near playground in Gipuzkoa province
May 16, 2023
An explosion has killed two people in Spain, with authorities suspecting the blast was linked to “gender-based violence”. The blast happened near a children’s playground in the town of Orio in the north of the country on Tuesday, according to local officials. The man and woman were killed at around 5.30pm local time in the fishing ...
- Estonia: Unmanned aviation to be developed in Tartu
May 15, 2023
The Estonian Transport Administration has decided to establish a testing area for unmanned aviation (drones) in Tartu, which is home to the research institutions and infrastructure necessary for aviation innovation. According to the Transport Administration, the establishment of a test facility in Tartu will create opportunities for broad-based development and deployment of unmanned aviation technologies. This ...
- Northern Ireland: Pipe bomb defused in Co Down security alert
May 13, 2023
A pipe bomb has been recovered as a security alert ended in Newtownards on Saturday morning. The security alert began on Friday night in the Ardmillan Crescent area with the discovery of the suspicious object. The explosive was diffused by an ATO team before residents were allowed to return to their homes. Read more… Source: BelfastLive
- UK: Burglars using explosives to blow church safes and steal ‘irreplaceable’ silver
May 12, 2023
A gang of thieves are using explosives to blast open church safes and steal silver worth tens of thousands of pounds. They are believed to have broken into four churches so far, making off with chalices, candlesticks, crucifixes and plates that had been locked away in safe storage. In one raid, 25 pieces of communion silver, including ...
- UK: Foreign Affairs Committee launches counter-terrorism inquiry
May 12, 2023
Today the Foreign Affairs Committee launches a new inquiry into the UK’s efforts to tackle terrorism globally. The inquiry will develop an understanding of the motivations, locations, tactics, ambitions and organisation of the most pressing terrorist threats and consider how the threat from terrorist actors and groups may evolve in the next decade. Read more… Source: Parliament UK
- UK: Far-right extremist given eight-year term for firearm and explosives offences
May 11, 2023
A gun-making far-right extremist who said minorities “should be shot” and accidentally blew up his kitchen while experimenting with explosives has been ordered to be detained for eight-and-a-half years. Vaughn Dolphin was convicted last month of six offences of possessing terrorist information, two of recklessly disseminating a terrorist publication, two of having an explosive substance and ...
- UK: Controlled explosion carried out after bombs found in Strathpeffer
May 11, 2023
A controlled explosion has taken place after two bombs were found in a Ross-shire village. The bomb squad were called to the Ben Wyvis Hotel in Strathpeffer yesterday afternoon. Explosives were found while contractors were working on a Biomass unit on the hotel’s grounds Read more… Source: Planet Radio
- Germany: Police and firefighters hurt in blast at high-rise block in the western town of Ratingen
May 11, 2023
Police officers and firefighters have been injured, some seriously, in an explosion in the western German town of Ratingen, police say. Inside the flat they found a fire in one of the rooms and a man then used a device to set off an explosion, the regional interior minister said. Read more… Source: BBC News
- Tunisian officers showcase EOD skills at Ravens Challenge
May 10, 2023
VICENZA, Italy — The U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa counter-IED program sponsored participation of two Tunisian army soldiers in Raven’s Challenge at Camp Dodge, Iowa. Raven’s Challenge is an annual, interagency, counter-IED exercise that incorporates scenarios focused on interoperability capabilities between public safety bomb squads and military explosive ordnance disposal units in operational environments. Read ...
