VBIED (Car Bomb) Threat Assessments & Mitigation

The VBIED Threat to Hotels

Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs) are one of the most effective weapons in the terrorist's arsenal. They are capable of delivering a large quantity of explosives to a target and can cause a great deal of damage. Once assembled, the device can be delivered at a time of the terrorist's choosing and with reasonable precision, depending on defences. VBIEDs may be parked close to the main entrance of a hotel, parked where large numbers of people gather adjacent to the perimeter, or crashed into a hotel lobby and then detonated. VBIEDs can be highly destructive. Upon detonation a VBIED will create powerful blast pressures, shrapnel through the destruction of the vehicle itself, and an intense fireball from ignition of the vehicle's fuel.

Hotels pose attractive targets for terrorists and can be particularly vulnerable to VBIED attack. VBIED has been the modus operandi for several terrorist attacks on hotels in recent years, including the bombings of the Sheraton and Marriott Hotels in Karachi, Pakistan; the attack on the JW Marriott in Jakarta, Indonesia; and attacks on the Hilton Hotel and Casino in Taba, Egypt. VBIEDs were also deployed against the Marriott Islamabad and the Pearl Continental Hotel in the north-west Pakistani city of Peshawar. Another recent example is the Times Square bomber, whose VBIED, if successful, would have devastated a major hotel and caused countless deaths and casualties in New York's Times Square.

Mitigating the VBIED Threat to Hotels

VBIED threats may arise in various ways:

• Parked - where the vehicle is positioned close to, or underneath, the target.
• Encroachment - where the vehicle negotiates through any incomplete or wrongly spaced existing security barriers or tailgates a legitimate vehicle through an active barrier system into the premises.
• Penetrative - where the vehicle is impacted into its target.
• Deception - where the perpetrators deceive their way onto a site by using a prepared cover story and/or false documentation.
• Duress - where a guard controlling a vehicle check point is forced to let a vehicle through or the driver of a legitimate vehicle is forced to carry an IED.

There are several security measures that can be taken to prevent VBIED attacks or limit the damage if attacks do occur. MJ FINCH is able to provide hotels with specialist threat assessments and mitigation strategies for VBIEDs. We have consultants with many years of experience in the planning of robust VBIED mitigation measures acquired from the military and law enforcement sectors.

Further Information

Please don't hesitate to contact us, should you require any further information or wish to discuss your bespoke requirements.

To contact us, please initially use the "Contact Form" on the "Contact Us" page, or alternatively e-mail us at info@MJFinch.com. All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence and promptly processed by our dedicated and experienced team.