Forensics

US terror blasts: How US forensic scientists examine bombs

When Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were found this month in New York and New Jersey, they gave detectives a wealth of information central to the ongoing investigation.

Amongst the protruding wires, the flip-phones, the shrapnel, the undetonated explosives and even the burnt traces from the devices that did explode were clues that help build up a picture of how the bombs were put together and where the material came from.

So who undertakes this painstaking work and how do they go about it?

Inside the secret world of explosives forensics

Overall responsibility lies with the FBI, which has its own extensive forensic science division, including state-of-the-art laboratories.