Washington, D.C.
Intelligence officials have told airport screeners to watch for suspicious pillows, overcoats, and stuffed animals, because al Qaida terrorists may be able to transform the material inside into bombs, The Washington Post reported this week. Counterterrorism officials believe that al Qaida is trying to manufacture a chemical called nitrocellulose, a volatile mixture of cotton and nitric acid or sulfuric acid. If dried carefully, the substance is odorless and could be disguised as something as innocuous as pillow stuffing. Credible sources have said that al Qaida trainees learn to cram the material into makeshift bombs. Homeland Security officials said they were already on the lookout. “Our screening procedures call for the full scrutiny of jackets, pillows, and toys,” a spokesman said.
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