Bomb expert says latest grenade was deadliest

One of the issues that the media was persistent about at today’s police conference was the increasing incidents of grenade explosions; the fourth which occurred on March third at the home of Comptroller of Customs, Gregory Gibson. Although luckily no one was hurt, the type of grenade that was detonated was the most lethal yet used in urban attacks in Belize. Bomb expert, B.D.F. Major David Jones and A.C.P. Crispin Jeffries explain.

Major David Jones, Bomb Squad, B.D.F.
“It was an L 109 A1 anti-personnel fragmentation grenade. It is a British grenade and came into service in the British Army around 2001 and subsequently the British started issuing those grenades here in Belize and around the world for training and for war purposes. The grenade is a delay percussion type grenade, which means that after it is thrown it functions after three to four seconds. Most grenades function between four to six, but this grenade was an enhanced performance grenade; it’s designed to detonate more faster and it actually detonates between three to four seconds. It is an enhanced grenade which means that it is more lethal than the previous ones used in British forces because this particular grenade is actually able to pierce body armor and it’s a radius of about twenty meters where it is very effective. But the fragments of the grenade normally would be propelled up to about two hundred and thirty-two meters so if it hits anything like wood, concrete, it would propel those fragments for a long distance. You may have heard that some houses a distance away heard the fragments falling on top of their roof, that’s because of the type of explosives inside the grenade. It’s a combination of RDX and TNT. The body of the grenade is deep brownish green in color, it’s a metal casing, the inner walls of the casing is lined with fragments and when that grenade actually detonates, there’s about one thousand, eight hundred fragments that will propel hemispherical out. So anybody in any direction that would be hit by that grenade would have been seriously injured. Had Mr. Gibson been on the top floor that night, it is very likely he would not have been alive today.”

Crispin Jeffries, Assistant Commissioner of Police
“When we looked at the crime scene, the time when it took for the grenade to be thrown, and the distance the suspects fled from the scene to the street side, we were able to determine that it is possible that they may have been seen and in fact a tall, fair skin male person was seen fleeing the scene and that is our lead at this time. Similar to that the commissioner has indicated that a white car was seen leaving the scene and that is our lead.”

There is no further progress in the investigation. And today the Public Service Union has come out condemning the attack on the Comptroller of Customs. According to the Union, “the despicable act signals that individuals involved in organized crime will go to lengths to intimidate public officers who protect the interests of the country, to cast a blind eye to their activity.”