Made In The U.S.A.: Teen Bombers

CBS News Exclusive: ATF Figures Show Juveniles Account For More Than Half Of Nation's Explosive Incidents

(CBS)  New information about domestic bombings. The federal government released the latest data showing there were at least 2,700 reported explosive incidents in the United States last year. But as CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian details in an exclusive report, that sheer number is not the biggest concern. It's who's behind the majority of the bombings.

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It looks like footage from a war zone. But instead, it's homemade bombs built and detonated at home in the United States.

All of the criminal acts shown in CBS News video have one thing in common - they are tied to an alarming trend that CBS News has learned involves the most unlikely culprits: Kids under the age of 18.

"Six out of 10 of these explosive incidents involve juveniles," said Scott Sweetow, the assistant special agent in charge of Atlanta's field office for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

"It's shocking and, in fact, it's not well known," Sweetow said. "And, it's not something that's going to go away."

The latest figures, gathered by the ATF and obtained exclusively by CBS News reveal that between 2004 and 2007 juveniles accounted for well more than half of all reported traceable explosive incidents - far exceeding gangs and hate groups combined.

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Explore the ATF U.S. Bomb Data Center statistics here.

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In fact, this year alone, news reports cite at least 106 arrests nationwide of teenage boys - some as young as 13 years old - for either manufacturing bombs or plotting to se them off.

In Arizona, eight students were hospitalized after a teen detonated a bomb at his school.

In North Carolina, a 13-year-old boy made a bomb that burned the face of a 7-year-old girl.

In Kansas, a teen bombing destroyed part of an apartment building.

For years, Robby Moser and his best friend, Dan, liked to blow things up, moving from firecrackers to bombs. The thrill always seemed to outweigh the risk.

"We pretty much did it for the fun," he said. "We kept getting bigger and bigger."

Last January, they set off a massive pipe bomb. The echoing blast rocked their Ohio town.

When the dust settled, Dan was dead - his face blown off in an instant.

"It was awful," Moser said.

As it turns out, the key components of high-powered bombs are readily available at your local hardware store, with no federal law preventing minors from buying most of the ingredients. What's more, detailed instructions on how to create military-style explosives are all over the Internet.

"These are the types of explosives that foreign criminal groups or foreign terrorist groups might use," Sweetow said.

"We're not talking about cherry bombs, we're talking about things that blow up and kill people?" Keteyian asked.

"Yes," Sweetow said.

Outside Atlanta recently, CBS News got a rare look at the cutting-edge training the ATF provides state and local law-enforcement officials. Real explosives, set off in real time, allowing investigators to sift through, and learn, from the wreckage that's left behind.

"The genie is out of the bottle and this is going to be a real tough problem to deal with," Sweetow said.

It's a frightening new generation of teens already moving from backyards to schoolyards, from vacant lots to crowded malls, armed and ticking.

© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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by downsteamjim December 13, 2008 7:17 PM EST

morphine: You need a quick fix.

Reply to this comment

by sjsche December 10, 2008 10:47 PM EST

Geez, get a grip folks, on both sides. This is nothing new and so far down the list of genuine legitimate concerns as to be a complete waste of airtime. This is NOT about kids targeting property or killing people on purpose, it%u2019s about a fascination with things that go bang. Been there, done that better than most, and turned out just fine thanks. But, it%u2019s also not part of a great conspiracy to create a military state for crying out loud. People in the media are paid to seek out anything they can build into a story, and the more sensational the better. Good for ratings, and yes, cheered on by the radical left and sucked up by the ignorant who love to live in fear, but not an organized conspiracy to take over the world. That kind of talk just brings your own credibility into question.

Reply to this comment

by nothappyatall December 10, 2008 8:06 PM EST

When I was a teenager me and my friends used to make pipe bombs and things that we set off in our backyard. That was back in the 80''''s.
zoopster1

Right, this isnt somethig new, its just covered instantly world wide on the net!
We kids were doing that *** in the 70''s, and lighting hairspray etc as it sprayed out the can to make a big torch, put 1000''s of tips of wood matches in a big coffee can and toss a match in and the flame would go up 10 or 12 feet like a torch, dry ice in a bottle etc but none of these things KILLED anyone.

Reply to this comment

by impeach___w December 10, 2008 7:25 PM EST

CBSisPravda1 calling me a liberal wont help you- I am a republican

Reply to this comment

by mtminds December 10, 2008 7:11 PM EST

I gave my kids an M16 at age 11. By the time they were 13, they could hit a nickle at 250 yards. They out grew that BB gun and learned how to shoot a real rifle. Guns are great for Zin practice. Guns are great for removing threats to bodily harm too.

Reply to this comment

by mtminds December 10, 2008 7:07 PM EST

compared to the imported bombers, or the bombers from the premier explosive evangelistic christian churches like FLDS, American teenage bombers are pure amateur. Not ready for prime time. Not ready for export. ready for export. America has no one to fight a holy war.

Reply to this comment

by stevex47 December 10, 2008 6:33 PM EST

They are NRA poster children.

Excercising their rights to bare arms(bombs).

When you encourage 8 year olds to play with machine guns, what''s next? Obviously bombs.

Reply to this comment

by impeach___w December 10, 2008 6:31 PM EST

CBSisPravda1, Liberalism hasn''t brought you anything in the last 8 years and won''t for another 2 months. Bush is more to blame than Obama. Common sense should tell you the idiot president is not the cause of this.

Reply to this comment

by impeach___w December 10, 2008 6:09 PM EST

Just label them all terrorists. Since they already have bombs, they only need a target and motive. why not Give them one!

Reply to this comment

by zoopster1 December 10, 2008 5:42 PM EST

When I was a teenager me and my friends used to make pipe bombs and things that we set off in our backyard. That was back in the 80''s.

The reason? We were bored, we had liquor, no adult supervision, and didn''t give a thought to the dangers involved. It was for laughs, nothing more.

My point is this isn''t a new trend; kids have been fascinated by explosions since time immemorial. The problem comes in from the increasing tendency to use bombs to commit crimes against others.

And that has a different cause altogether.

Reply to this comment

by presjfk December 10, 2008 5:30 PM EST

how about mandatory military service for these idiots.

Reply to this comment

by cbsnews53 December 10, 2008 5:09 PM EST

The largest builder of bombs in the US...the US military. The second largest are teenage kids. Anyone see a connection in mentality here??

Reply to this comment

by jack548-2009 December 10, 2008 5:07 PM EST

This something new ? I remember as a kid using my Chemistry Set to make gun powder and ohhhhh actually shooting a BB gun and pellet gun. It really affected the way I grew up........

Reply to this comment

by au_fait December 10, 2008 4:28 PM EST

"The latest figures, gathered by the ATF and obtained exclusively by CBS News reveal that between 2004 and 2007 juveniles accounted for well more than half of all reported traceable explosive incidents - far exceeding gangs and hate groups combined."

Thanks bush for your stupid Iraq war!!!

Posted by jh6379again

Serious, *** does your comment have to do with the article. You are a friggin MORON!

Reply to this comment

by lochlan-2009 December 10, 2008 3:37 PM EST

It''s a frightening new generation of teens already moving from backyards to schoolyards, from vacant lots to crowded malls, armed and ticking."

Paraphrase this last paragraph of propaganda:

Be afraid. Kids with bombs are going to be blowing us up at schools and malls. No where is safe and we need protection.

This is when they say, well how about 20,000 (eventually 100,000+) troops on our streets "for your safety".

It''s a deal with the devil.

Reply to this comment

by ccdsswrkr08 December 10, 2008 3:29 PM EST

the NRA solution to these problem? ..........distribute hand grenades so all the kids can defend themselves safely.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by andrew_693 at 11:51 AM : Dec 10, 2008


Yes, because the NRA obviously has a lot to do with this. Lets just blame the NRA for every out of control kid on the block. Thats easy.

Reply to this comment

by summarex December 10, 2008 3:13 PM EST

SOME BOZO said:

Lets quit the blame game and know that it''''''''s happening and I hope that ATF can figure out a way to stop these kids. If the kids are just experimenting and get carried away then they need

I have a better idea. Let''s teach those kids to hate the ATF!

Reply to this comment

by tomanyt December 10, 2008 3:12 PM EST

amarillolesa..." I hope that ATF can figure out a way to stop these kids."...And exactly how would the ATF stop these kids????????

Reply to this comment

by andrew_693 December 10, 2008 2:51 PM EST

the NRA solution to these problem? ..........distribute hand grenades so all the kids can defend themselves safely.

Reply to this comment

by ccdsswrkr08 December 10, 2008 2:24 PM EST

Lets quit the blame game and know that it''''s happening and I hope that ATF can figure out a way to stop these kids. If the kids are just experimenting and get carried away then they need to pay costs for repairs if someone was badly injured then pay part of the medical expenses. That''''s usually when we learn when we have to literally pay for our mistakes. If the kids were intentionally causing harm, injuring 8 students, then they should be treated like criminals. They are criminals if it''''s not their first explosion they know what they are doing.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by amarillolesa at 09:41 AM : Dec 10, 2008


yup, lets just hope everyone else except the PARENTS find a way to stop these children. Geeze, when did parents get a complete pass when it comes to what their children do.

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[downsteamjim]

morphine: You need a quick fix.

[sjsche]

Geez, get a grip folks, on both sides. This is nothing new and so far down the list of genuine legitimate concerns as to be a complete waste of airtime. This is NOT about kids targeting property or killing people on purpose, it%u2019s about a fascination with things that go bang. Been there, done that better than most, and turned out just fine thanks. But, it%u2019s also not part of a great conspiracy to create a military state for crying out loud. People in the media are paid to seek out anything they can build into a story, and the more sensational the better. Good for ratings, and yes, cheered on by the radical left and sucked up by the ignorant who love to live in fear, but not an organized conspiracy to take over the world. That kind of talk just brings your own credibility into question.

[nothappyatall]

When I was a teenager me and my friends used to make pipe bombs and things that we set off in our backyard. That was back in the 80''''s.
zoopster1

Right, this isnt somethig new, its just covered instantly world wide on the net!
We kids were doing that *** in the 70''s, and lighting hairspray etc as it sprayed out the can to make a big torch, put 1000''s of tips of wood matches in a big coffee can and toss a match in and the flame would go up 10 or 12 feet like a torch, dry ice in a bottle etc but none of these things KILLED anyone.

[impeach___w]

CBSisPravda1 calling me a liberal wont help you- I am a republican

[mtminds]

I gave my kids an M16 at age 11. By the time they were 13, they could hit a nickle at 250 yards. They out grew that BB gun and learned how to shoot a real rifle. Guns are great for Zin practice. Guns are great for removing threats to bodily harm too.

[mtminds]

compared to the imported bombers, or the bombers from the premier explosive evangelistic christian churches like FLDS, American teenage bombers are pure amateur. Not ready for prime time. Not ready for export. ready for export. America has no one to fight a holy war.

[stevex47]

They are NRA poster children.

Excercising their rights to bare arms(bombs).

When you encourage 8 year olds to play with machine guns, what''s next? Obviously bombs.

[impeach___w]

CBSisPravda1, Liberalism hasn''t brought you anything in the last 8 years and won''t for another 2 months. Bush is more to blame than Obama. Common sense should tell you the idiot president is not the cause of this.

[impeach___w]

Just label them all terrorists. Since they already have bombs, they only need a target and motive. why not Give them one!

[zoopster1]

When I was a teenager me and my friends used to make pipe bombs and things that we set off in our backyard. That was back in the 80''s.

The reason? We were bored, we had liquor, no adult supervision, and didn''t give a thought to the dangers involved. It was for laughs, nothing more.

My point is this isn''t a new trend; kids have been fascinated by explosions since time immemorial. The problem comes in from the increasing tendency to use bombs to commit crimes against others.

And that has a different cause altogether.

[presjfk]

how about mandatory military service for these idiots.

[cbsnews53]

The largest builder of bombs in the US...the US military. The second largest are teenage kids. Anyone see a connection in mentality here??

[jack548-2009]

This something new ? I remember as a kid using my Chemistry Set to make gun powder and ohhhhh actually shooting a BB gun and pellet gun. It really affected the way I grew up........

[au_fait]

"The latest figures, gathered by the ATF and obtained exclusively by CBS News reveal that between 2004 and 2007 juveniles accounted for well more than half of all reported traceable explosive incidents - far exceeding gangs and hate groups combined."

Thanks bush for your stupid Iraq war!!!

Posted by jh6379again

Serious, *** does your comment have to do with the article. You are a friggin MORON!

[lochlan-2009]

It''s a frightening new generation of teens already moving from backyards to schoolyards, from vacant lots to crowded malls, armed and ticking."

Paraphrase this last paragraph of propaganda:

Be afraid. Kids with bombs are going to be blowing us up at schools and malls. No where is safe and we need protection.

This is when they say, well how about 20,000 (eventually 100,000+) troops on our streets "for your safety".

It''s a deal with the devil.

[ccdsswrkr08]

the NRA solution to these problem? ..........distribute hand grenades so all the kids can defend themselves safely.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by andrew_693 at 11:51 AM : Dec 10, 2008


Yes, because the NRA obviously has a lot to do with this. Lets just blame the NRA for every out of control kid on the block. Thats easy.

[summarex]

SOME BOZO said:

Lets quit the blame game and know that it''''''''s happening and I hope that ATF can figure out a way to stop these kids. If the kids are just experimenting and get carried away then they need

I have a better idea. Let''s teach those kids to hate the ATF!

[tomanyt]

amarillolesa..." I hope that ATF can figure out a way to stop these kids."...And exactly how would the ATF stop these kids????????

[andrew_693]

the NRA solution to these problem? ..........distribute hand grenades so all the kids can defend themselves safely.

[ccdsswrkr08]

Lets quit the blame game and know that it''''s happening and I hope that ATF can figure out a way to stop these kids. If the kids are just experimenting and get carried away then they need to pay costs for repairs if someone was badly injured then pay part of the medical expenses. That''''s usually when we learn when we have to literally pay for our mistakes. If the kids were intentionally causing harm, injuring 8 students, then they should be treated like criminals. They are criminals if it''''s not their first explosion they know what they are doing.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by amarillolesa at 09:41 AM : Dec 10, 2008


yup, lets just hope everyone else except the PARENTS find a way to stop these children. Geeze, when did parents get a complete pass when it comes to what their children do.