Female Suicide Bombers
Whilst most of the major attacks against aviation of the last decade, both those successful and those attempted, have been perpetrated by men, it would be a short-sighted regulator or security agency that ignores the threat posed by women. Female Tamil Tigers and Chechen Black Widows, such as those who callously targetted Moscow's subway system this March, may not be the centre of the global aviation industry's attention, but their activities and willingness to die for their cause may well serve as a blueprint for future attacks. Indeed, the western media has highlighted intelligence reports that some women may even be willing to have surgical implants to achieve their goal. Andrea Malji looks at the scale of the problem and some of the religious and cultural impediments to effectively screening women.
When one envisions a 'terrorist' or a suicide bomber, there are likely some preconceived notions about identity. Upon hearing these emotionally charged words, one may proceed to visually associate it with an image of a young radicalised Muslim Arab male. Following 9/11, the ominous blank stares of the 19 hijackers remain forever engrained in our memories and, for some, determine who a terrorist is. While there is indeed some truth in this pattern of association, one should be careful not to generalise. This past Christmas we were reminded that we should not rely on stereotype alone to identify the next terrorist. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab fit all the traditional stereotype characteristics of a 'terrorist'. He was a young Muslim male radicalised in Yemen. However, there was one significant difference — he was Nigerian. Although we occasionally associate the continent of Africa with terrorism, especially in the Eastern Horn, it is seldom expected that an African would destroy an airliner. Here, within this expectation, lies the problem. One cannot assume that an individual is more likely to commit an act of terrorism based on identity alone.
Blonde haired, blue eyed Colleen LaRose is known as Mad Jane
Colleen LaRose is a blonde haired blue eyed woman from Pennsylvania. Generally a woman with such a profile would not raise any concerns at the airport or elsewhere. However, Ms. LaRose, whose pen name is Jihad Jane, was recently arrested in the United States for helping terror groups in Europe and Asia in their quest to carry out attacks. LaRose was apparently recruiting women to 'wage violent jihad' and planned to be a martyr herself. In emails to her co-conspirators she noted her plan to use her American background and appearance to avoid detection. Following the arrest of Jihad Jane, US attorney Michael Levy pointed out that the case 'shatters any lingering thought that we can spot a terrorist based on appearance'.
"...in this past year, 9% of all suicide attacks and 15% of all suicide attacks in Iraq were perpetrated by women…"
Although Ms. LaRose's arrest and charges may have shocked many, it shouldn't have. Women have long been involved in terrorism, dating back to the era of Baader-Meinhof and the Red Brigades. In this past year, nine percent of all suicide attacks and fifteen percent of all suicide attacks in Iraq were perpetrated by women. This however, is not a post- 9/11 phenomenon. Female suicide bombings have been occurring since the 1980's when Sana Mekhaidali, a Lebanese woman, blew herself up amongst an Israeli convoy. There has been a proliferation of female suicide bombers around the world since Sana Mekhaidali. The Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka are perhaps the most famous implementers of female suicide bombers. However, Palestine, Iraq,
Chechnya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Turkey and Uzbekistan have also had their share of females perpetrating acts of suicide terrorism. In total there have been nearly 230 female suicide bombers since the 1980's. Although this number seems quite meagre in comparison to the number of male suicide bombers, it should not be ignored.
In 2002, Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin renounced the idea of females as suicide bombers due to reasons of modesty. However, after the first Hamas led suicide attack by a female in 2004, the leader had a change of opinion. Yassin stated that the inclusion of women was a “significant evolution in our fight. The male fighters face many obstacles, so women can more easily reach the targets. Women are like the reserve army — when there is a necessity, we use them.” The words spoken by both Yassin and Jihad Jane should be considered warnings to security officials throughout the world. The inclusion of women in terrorism and suicide terrorism is not some sort of post-feminist reach towards equality. It is instead based on a belief that women aren't expected to commit an act of terrorism and can therefore forego any suspicions or extra security checks.
While this brief history may be insightful, many may ask: How is this relevant within the context of aviation security or even international terrorism? After all, most of these female attacks have been constrained to ongoing conflicts on the ground. These events, and the arrest of Jihad Jane, however, are closely related. They should be treated as acts that potentially foreshadow the plans of leading terrorist groups. Recently, American law enforcement officials have been told to be aware that female suicide bombers may attempt to enterthe United States. Intelligence officials note that these women will likely carry western passports and be western in appearance.
While most will agree that women shouldn't be given a free pass through security, they may also suggest that more time and resources should be put towards targeting the 'traditional profile' of a terrorist. The concept of a female hijacker is far-fetched; in fact, it has already happened in the past. The first known female hijacker was Leila Khaled of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in 1969. While she did play a role in two major airline hijackings, there were no mid¬air explosions or passenger deaths. There have been other occurrences of females participating in hijackings since then, but there were not any large scale fatal attacks, with the notable except of Kim Hyun Hui's involvement in the destruction of Korean Airlines flight 858 in 1987.
In 2004, Chechen women Satsita Dzherbirkhanova and Amanta Nagayeva simultaneously exploded two Russian airliners killing all 89 on board. The Russians were already aware of the threat from female suicide attackers as a result of previous occurrences in Chechyna. This act should remain as a reminder of why women should be equally suspect when it comes to security measures designed to prevent acts of terrorism.
The use of women in suicide terrorism represents a change in the dynamic of terrorism. However, does this inclusion change the tactics that are implemented? Having women included can indeed present new and even bizarre opportunities. For example, British intelligence agencies have reported that women may be undergoing surgery to have explosives put in breast implants. The implant bombs do indeed seem more sophisticated than an underwear bomb. Nonetheless, one must also question if such a plot is even feasible.
Implant bombs are seemingly more expensive than other traditional methods because of the associated surgery. However, a body implanted explosive device also defies an external security check. Maryland plastic surgeon Dr. Craig Pearson confirmed that any kind of liquid could be put within a saline device and theoretically opened and replaced with a different type of gel, although the means of detonation remains unclear. While the method does seem feasible, albeit strange, it raises the broader issue of undetectable explosive substances such as TATP. It is not necessarily the method of carrying the explosive that should be the centre of concern, but instead how to detect such a substance.
Terrorist masterminds are clearly aware of the advantage of using women to perpetrate attacks. They realise that women, and especially western women, are not expected to initiate an attack and may not receive additional security attention. Within Islamic and more conservative societies however, it is generally concern over modesty that often prevents thorough security checks for women.
While travelling in South Asia and the Middle East there is generally a separate security line for female passengers. Females, in the same manner as males, then proceed through the metal detector and receive a basic pat down by a female member of airport security. The pat down for women however generally occurs behind a privacy curtain in order to block the view from men. This procedure is largely generated out of concerns over modesty as, especially in conservative Islamic settings, it is generally considered inappropriate for a non-relative male to be in the presence of a female. If he is in the presence of a non-relative female, then the gaze must be lowered. Because of these religious and cultural mores, a female security official and curtain is necessary. Should a veiled Muslim woman be required to remove her hijab for security and identification purposes or be required to undergo a pat down, it would be considered entirely inappropriate for any woman to be frisked or seen without the hijab by any male member of airport security.
Employing female security is generally of little difficulty in most South and Southeast Asian countries. However, when there is a lack of female airport security officials, difficulties can arise. This lack of female security personnel can especially be seen in the Middle East and Africa. While many may accept that a female will have to be checked by a male screener if a female security official is unavailable, this is not always the case. It is highly unlikely, even with security concerns about a passenger, that a female would undergo a physical security check from a male since modesty concerns would outweigh security concerns in terms of perceived importance.
While certain countries do allow women to wear the hijab for passport photos, the niqab or face covering, is not allowed. The niqab, often referred to as the burqa, almost entirely conceals identity. However, wearers of the niqab will not argue over showing their faces to a female security official. Therefore, as long as a female is available at security, women will likely undergo the same procedures as men. The presence of a female security official however is not always guaranteed.
"...there have been nearly 230 female suicide bombers since the 1980's…"
In the summer of 2007 I was leaving Cairo airport for Rome on a major airline. Because it was an early flight, the airport was not busy. After running my suitcases through initial screening, I arrived at the check-in desk and proceeded through customs and security. In front of me, the entire time, was a woman wearing the niqab and an older male I presumed to be her husband. The only visible portion of her body was her eyes; even her hands were covered in black gloves. There were no women security officials working at the airport at the time and both the niqabi woman and myself set off the metal detector as we walked through. To my surprise though, we were allowed to proceed to the plane without any additional checks. While the fact that neither of us were required to undergo a further security check is indeed troubling, what is more disturbing is that the facial identity of the niqabi woman was concealed the entire time. No female was available to check her identity or to ensure that it was in fact our jewellery setting of the metal detector. Any individual could have been under the niqab, including a male carrying an explosive device. Although I cannot confirm that this is always the situation at Cairo airport, anyone could have easily made it through airport security on that day. Modesty, and the preconceived notions about who is a security threat, allowed two females, and in all likelihood each of the female passengers on the flight, to pass through security without any concern. While such an occurrence would have seemed inconsequential pre-9/11, two, six, or nine years later, it is no longer acceptable.
Such a security gap is realised not only by passengers, but also by those who attempt to take advantage and act upon these weaknesses. Lack of female personnel therefore translates passport, identity can simply be concealed by usage of the niqab. Without confirmation of the identity, the passport serves as a useless document.
The perceived innocence of women however is often taken a step further to include pregnant women. In Iraq, Israel (Palestine), Chechnya, and Sri Lanka, men have dressed as women and exploded either suicide vests or remotely detonated baby carriages laced with bombs. Pregnant women are apparently even less suspicious than females in general. After all it seems counter-intuitive that a pregnant woman would partake in a suicide attack. It is a correct assumption that pregnant women are generally not the ones who utilise attacks. These assumptions serve as the foundation for creating terrorist plots. Recently, in Iraq, prosthetic devices that mimic pregnancy have been employed.
The prosthetic stomach mimics pregnancy from the outside, yet carries explosives on the inside. While these tactics have yet to be used outside conflict zones on the ground, they should serve as potential precursors of tactics which may be employed against aviation.
Terrorism has been an evolving force worldwide for over a century. 2008's two most significant attacks against aviation involved women — one, unrelated to terrorism, an allegedly psychologically disturbed individual in New Zealand, but the other was by a suicidal terrorist, Guzalinur Turdi, who wished to destroy a China Southern flight on behalf of ETIM. While the inclusion of women is not entirely new, the advent of western women in global terrorism is. The arrests of Jihad Jane and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab should serve as a warning that stereotyping terrorists is not worthwhile. Additionally, while the importance of modesty in more conservative cultures should not be forgotten, security must not be sacrificed for the sake of modesty.
The author is a PhD student studying International Relations and Comparative Politics at the University of Kentucky. Her research focuses on domestic and international terrorism, specifically in the Middle East and South Asia. She was previously interned at the East-West Institute for the Countering Violent Extremism Initiative and also worked as an anti-money laundering analyst at a major international investment bank.