NCJ Number
198874
Editor(s)
Latonya O. Gadson,
Melody L. Michael,
Nancy Walsh
Date Published
1999
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Based on data collected and reported in accordance with the provisions of the Uniform Federal Crime Reporting Act of 1929, as amended, this report provides information on bombing incidents reported in the United States and its territories in 1998; data also cover hoax devices and recoveries of improvised devices, explosives, and military ordnance.
Abstract
A total of 2,300 bombing incidents were reported to the FBI's Bomb Data Center (BDC) in 1998, a 4-percent increase over the previous year. The use of explosives in bombings accounted for 77 percent of the incidents; 20 percent of the incidents were incendiary, and the remaining 3 percent were both explosive and incendiary. In 71 percent of the bombing incidents, the devices were "successful," defined as either detonating or igniting, and 29 percent were "unsuccessful." Of the 2,300 bombing incidents in 1998, 45 percent occurred in Western States; 24 percent occurred in Southern States, including Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico; 23 percent occurred in the North Central States; and Eastern States experienced 8 percent of the bombings. Deaths from bombings numbered 16 compared with 18 in 1997; and there were 160 injuries compared with 204 in 1997. The cost of damage to properties from the incidents was calculated at $6 million, a decrease of $3 million from the previous year. A total of 629 incidents involved hoax devices, a 25-percent decrease from 1997. Seven thefts of explosives and five lost/missing explosives were reported for 1998. Extensive tables and figures