[CTRL] THE COLUMBINE MASSACRE

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Title: THE COLUMBINE MASSACRE

This site is hosted by Netfirms Web Hosting SPECIAL REPORT THE COLUMBINE MASSACRE ANALYSIS OF THE SUSPECT WEB SITE DOCUMENTS Frontline has obtained the bomb making instructions and a copy of the sketch as displayed on the suspect web site. Both items have been studied and a report of the findings of that study are contained herein. ORIGIN OF THE FILES The files were saved on the Harris family computer as indicated in the code contained in the file. The program used was Microsoft Word which was registered to Wayne N. Harris and appears to be the result of a chat session with an outside third party as several autosaves were initiated before the file was ultimately saved as "thebook.doc" in the DOOM2 directory of the computer. Tokens in the body and front end tags indicate that the document existed as an html document prior to being saved on the computer, this reinforces the probability that the file was created as the result of a chat session possibly in an active game background with a third party providing technical assistance to Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. TEXT OF BOMB MAKING INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE SUSPECT WEB SITE The original text appears in this red type italicized face Analysis and comments appear in this black type face Pipe bombs Pipe bombs are some of the easiest and deadliest ways to kill a group of people or destroy a few things. First off, we will talk about the pipes. Second will be the explosive filler and last will be the shrapnel. This immediately outlines the purpose of this document and the intent of the participants. Significant is the intent expressed as a method to kill a group of people, this indicates that the receiver of the document in this case apparently Harris had grandiose plans of destruction. It also indicates that there was a general intent to kill a large group, this is not the act of specific targeting but rather shows an intent to develop a body count as the primary purpose of this exchange. PIPES: Pipes are about as easy to purchase as a CD. You do not want to have the length any longer than 8 inches. Diameter should usually be between BE'' and 2''. If it's any longer than around 8'' it might not blow up how it's supposed to. If it's thicker than around 2'', it will cost you a fuck-load of money. Normal metal galvanized pipes are the best to use, since plastic melts to easy and I don't think copper would be that great. Never did try it though. The way I bought most of my pipes is by going out and getting all of the caps one day, then getting the pipes a few days later, or at a different store. You don't want to look too suspicious. The verbiage here indicates that the writer has had experience in the construction of pipe bombs, the information is sound with respect to the mechanical properties needed to construct a pipe bomb with easily obtained materials. The writer is probably recommending a minimum diameter of 1" for the pipe, the importance placed on the length is important because a longer length could have a tendency to rupture in a lengthwise split before the explosive has pressure from the explosive has reached it's maximum level. This rupturing while presenting a danger would produce far less shrapnel than would normally be associated with a pipe bomb. Larger packages can be built in this fashion but they require far more technical know-how in terms of constructing an explosive device. The writer is probably young in his twenties and has limited resources, the references to money and relating purchasing pipe to a CD indicate this. The writer is also careful to point out methodology as to purchasing the supplies so as not to raise suspicions. After you buy the caps you need to drill a 1/8'' hole in the center of 1 cap per pipe. This is for the cannon fuse. Be sure to use good quality cannon fuse that isn't bent or taped together, to be sure it all burns correctly. Try to keep that fuse in good condition. Even though you can bend and fold that fuse all to hell and back and it will most likely still burn though, you do not want to have a bunch of your enemies staring at a real heavy paperweight that isn't smoking. Once you have the hole in the cap stick the cannon fuse through it and tape it on so it doesn't keep moving around. 1-2 inches inside the pipe should be plenty to do the job, but in a fix you can have as little as a fingernail's length. As far as how much you want on the outside, that depends on the delay you want the blast to have. For a grenade type bomb you want about a finger's length, for fun bombs you want about 2 feet, and for time bombs you want about an inch. This paragraph is once again sound as to the mechanical details of a crude pipe bomb device, the advice regarding the handling of the fuse indicates that the writer has had some experience in handling and damaging fuse in the past. The reference to "a bunch of your enemies" indicates that the writer is third party since the word "our" would be more appropriate to a two way conversation between Harris and Klebold. In addition this reference indicates that this third party had some knowledge of the intentions of the recipients, hence the creation of a contingency in a tactical situation. Screw that cap onto the pipe nice and hard, and then rig up some sort of holder so you can fill the pipe and not screw up the fuse. There are several ways you can do that, so just be creative and resourceful. The instructions here are crude but the reference to protecting the fuse indicates a familiarity with constructing these types of devices POWDER: The kind of powder I have used throughout my pipe bombs has been mostly the same and has proved its' worth plenty of times. So you really don't have to spend a day making the perfect powder or wasting money and time buying special ingredients to make plastic explosives or TNT or whatever. Normal firework powder works great. I used all sorts of fountains to get my powder from. Almost anything will work. Your other option is actual gunpowder. If yer 18, you can buy this shit at almost any gun store. Buy the fastest burning powder you can, but don't blow your money on something to expensive. Gunpowder is gunpowder. 15 dollars will buy you about a coffee can full. This paragraph indicates that there had been some discussion as to the type of explosive and possible fabrication techniques, this is consistent with long term planning as has been evidenced in this case. The writer indicated a preference for firework powder which can be obtained through the disassembly of fireworks. This may be the reason for one of the perpetrators to seek and obtain employment at a fireworks retailer. According to reports some of the payroll was made in merchandise. This would be consistent with the long term planning evidenced in this case and would reduce suspicions as to money spent for acquisition of the fireworks that may have been employed in the construction of the devices. The other option presented as viable is the use of bulk gunpowder, once again the cost factor is raised by the writer as well as the age aspect with reference to purchasing the material. Raising the age issue is indicative of a third party as the two principle parties here would have been cognizant of each others age. The best way to de-powder fountains is to get a real real sharp knife and cut it in half, and squish and tap all of the powder out. Be sure you don't get any of the orange crap in the powder though, that shit is called clay. It don't blow up. It may be time consuming but I say it's worth it. If you are doing it inside your room be sure you have plenty of newspaper down because accidents do happen and if you have a big black stain on yer carpet, mom and dad might ask some questions. Another thing, surgical gloves come in handy too, because your hand will be completely black by the time you are done. I used a coffee can to store the powder in, but really anything with a good lid and a wide mouth will do. Cool looking glass containers like at Hobby Lobby come in handy if you want to keep certain kinds of powder separated. This paragraph is a detailed instruction on the disassembly of a type of firework known as a fountain. The advice is once again sound in terms of maintaining the purity of the explosive powder and not allowing contamination by the clay which is used to seal the firework. The writer is also giving advice as to the use of surgical gloves and newspaper under the work area to prevent carpet stains if they are performing this operation in the confines of their bedroom. The reference to the parents asking questions is indicative of third party advice and also indicates some apprehension as to discovery. The reference to Hobby Lobby indicates that the writer may be local or have knowledge of local vendors, Hobby Lobby is a chain of hobby shops in the Denver area. Once you have all of the powder ready and the pipe+cap+fuse stabilized, go ahead and start pouring that shit in. Use a funnel for small diameter pipes, or a folded sheet of paper or cardboard for larger pipes. After it's about half full, tap it on a hard surface until it will not settle any more. You want as much powder as physically possible in there. Once it is full, repeat the last step. Then add a little mountain of powder on top of the full, settled powder and screw on the cap. It might be wise to wipe down the threads to remove any shit there. The tighter those 2 caps are on, the better. Once that is on you are basically ready to go. I put about 2 layers of duct-tape on my bombs so they make less noise when transporting them. Just be sure that fuse is on there good and solid. The instructions presented here are basic and technically sound with respect to adding the blasting component to the pipe bomb. The writer stresses compaction of the powder which is necessary for a maximum effect. The methodology presented here of tapping the pipe bomb rather than tamping the powder also indicates an experienced writer. The reference to adding "a little mountain of powder" is to maintain fill within the space that will be present when the cap is installed. The reference to wiping down the threads indicates an experienced writer and one who possible may have had an accident in the past constructing these types of devices. Foreign matter on the threads could present an ignition risk upon final assembly and is something that would concern an experienced bomb builder. The suggested use of duct tape is for the purpose of deadening any sound that these devices may make when being transported together, the tape would reduce the characteristic clinking of the pipe casings. The last reference to fuse indicates the writer considers this a major item and indicates that the writer has had problems with fusing in the past. SHRAPNEL: Shrapnel is very important if you want to kill and injure a lot of people. Almost anything small and metal will work. From paper clips cut into pieces to 2'' nails. You can use screws, solder, BB's, pellets, nails of all kinds, buckshot of all sizes, twisted diskette centers, or any other kind of metal object that can be twisted into a small size, and hell I'm sure staples would even be useful. Small handgun ammunition might even be an interesting addition to large sized bombs. What I have done in the past is just tossed a few screws or 1'' nails into the powder on the sheet of cardboard and dumped it in just as I would normal powder. I have used a lot of #8 buckshot too, and for this I would either sprinkle it in as I am pouring the powder in, or use the method just described. If you are using nails it might be a good idea to have them right up against the pipe walls, so the go faster farther. As far as taping, tying, or gluing nails onto the outside of the pipe, I am not sure that method works. I did try it on the Delta batch, and since they won't be used until NBK it'll be kind of hard to report the results. You might try asking the survivors if they got a good look at the bomb before it went off and then the remains! The desire to attack a large group producing large numbers of casualties is evident here as earlier. The writer is cognizant of the desire of the reader to produce this result. The writer presents a wide range of materials for use as shrapnel and indicates his methodology of mixing shrapnel with the powder. The writer has in the past used this mixing method pretty much exclusively. This is indicated by his reference to not knowing whether placing shrapnel externally works. The writer is a computer buff and not merely a casual user the reference to twisted diskette centers indicates that the writer had a large supply of diskettes to disassemble for the 3/4" sheet metal components that provide the transmission interface for the disk. The writer is experimenting with pipe bomb designs according to this paragraph as is indicated by the reference to the Delta batch. This same reference indicates that the writer is stockpiling pipe bombs for some future event known as "NBK". NBK could be a reference to the movie Natural Born Killers or it could refer to some other event such as a bank robbery where the NB in NBK would stand for National Bank. It is clear that the possibility does exist for some future violent act involving the writer of these instructions. Napalm. Napalm is used to burn people, houses, cars, or anything else that can be burnt. It can be produced in a wide variety of ways and by using pages of different ingredients. In this text I will review the methods and ingredients that I have found to be most promising. This section is an abrupt departure from pipe bombs to napalm which is an incendiary. The discussion here is indicative of a multi-pronged approach to the attack planning. INGREDIENTS: In just about every "anarchist" cookbook you can find you will see tons of napalm recipes. Through trial and error I have found that only a few are worth the trouble. Although, some of my tests can not be considered completely accurate since I was short on time and resources because of the war. First of all, one of the best recipes is actually the simplest. Motor oil and gasoline in a glass bottle is about all you need. You could spend hours and hours and lots of money to make a batch of napalm that if at all is only a little better. The writer makes reference to "anarchist" cookbooks as a source of napalm recipes, and indicates that considerable testing has been done as to what makes a good incendiary. The writer also points out that much of the content in these various publications available on the Internet is of little value. The writer makes reference to being short on time and resources because of the war, this could be a reference to the Gulf War and some possible tie to the writers job or economic situation because of it. Ultimately the writer is recommending what is essentially a Molatov cocktail with the motor oil and gasoline in a glass bottle. Styrofoam and gasoline is a fairly good mixture, but it has its drawbacks. Styrofoam and gas makes a solution that reminds me of pizza dough. It is rubbery, stringy, and is a bitch to transfer from containers. It burns for a good while, and after it is done burning it turns into a hard, black, plastic-type substance. I won't know how well it spreads upon explosion until actual combat, so I can't say anything about that. Another problem is that it takes about 20 cups of Styrofoam to make 1 cup of napalm. So unless you own a packing service, it is hard to make a decent sized batch. Personally I was able to make about a gallon of the stuff, but it wasn't easy and I was almost discovered thanks to that fucking ever-present gasoline stench. One of the recipes for Napalm circulated in the various cookbooks is the Styrofoam and gasoline concoction referenced above. Gasoline will dissolve Styrofoam but in doing so you create a mixture of the Styrofoam components and gasoline, by adding enough Styrofoam the mixture will eventually thicken due to the styrene components in mixture. This is not true Napalm but it does produce a gooey highly flammable substance that will cause considerable damage and produce a thick black smoke. Something of this type may have been used in the attack on the school as reports of fires in the building have been made by law enforcement authorities. The reference at the end to near discovery indicates that the writer was subject to some type of authority such as parental supervision and worried about discovery. If the experimentation in question took place during the Gulf War which may be a possibility, this would place the age of the writer in the mid twenties. As far as wax, petroleum jelly, and bleach go I would need to do more extensive tests to come to any concrete conclusion. I know that bleach+gas works a little worse than gas alone and that is the same for Vaseline+gas, and laundry detergent+gas. But, heating the solution could make very large differences. I saw somewhere that egg whites, salt, and gas makes good napalm, but that is utter bull shit. Not only is it fucking expensive and extremely time consuming, but also gas by itself is ten times better than that crap. This paragraph is a further review of various recipes and approaches advocated in various publications and may indicate that the suspects had made inquiries regarding these specific mixtures. Toilet paper and gas might be a good mixture, but unfortunately I only had time to do a small test. Results from that were very good though. This is another incendiary mixture that may have been the subject of inquiry by the suspects. The toilet paper would provide a matrix to store the incendiary agent in form that would be more easily handled and deployed. I have tried model glue also, and the results were about the same as gas alone. In short, you are much better off using gas and oil instead of any, and I mean fucking ANY, other mixture because it is cheaper, easier, quicker, and works just as good or better than anything else does. It is a waste of time, effort, and resources to try to figure out the ideal recipe when gas and oil will do the job just fine. If it can burn, the molitov cocktail will most likely burn it. Model glue is suggested by various publications for use with gasoline in producing a Napalm substance. As with Styrofoam the active ingredient is the Styrene components in the model glue. It would take an enormous amount of model glue combined with gasoline to produce the desired substance. The writer retreats here to the earlier recommendation that the suspects use simple Molatov cocktails. Storing gasoline is one of the biggest pain-in-the-ass tasks I have gone through in the pre-war era. First of all, you have to take into account that any extra gas containers lying around the shed or garage can easily cause suspicion. Second of all, it smells. So putting a couple jars in your closet is a bad idea. Third, gas expands when it is hot, so you don't want to put it in your trunk under a blazing sun all day long, because it might just blow up. So some good storage areas are deep in garage closets that are rarely visited, in your trunk if the weather is not hot at all, or under a tarp in your yard some place, if you have a rather fucking large and wooded property around your house. Other than those suggestions, you are on your own. Just be smart and remember the basic principles of gasoline. It's flammable, it smells, it expands when hot, and it needs a very good seal to prevent leakage from the container. This last paragraph deals with stockpiling and storage of gasoline, the writer makes various suggestions and points out various pitfalls in storing gasoline. It is clear that the intended use of the gasoline is as an incendiary and accelerant to be used in an attack. The writer uses the phrase "pre-war era" that appears to be used in the present tense and is distinguished from the previous uses of the term "war". This may indicate that the writer has a belief that there is an impending domestic war. Certain groups including militia groups and certain religious cults believe their is an impending domestic war about to occur, depending upon the group this can be a belief in a racial war, civil war, marshal law action or attack by a UN or other foreign force involved in a conspiracy with US officials. The meaning is unclear here but the basic underlying belief on the part of the writer is strongly implied. The speculation as to the configuration of the readers yard also indicates that the writer is not familiar with the readers home and thus strongly indicates that the third party in this case did not have knowledge of the intimate details of the suspects but rather knowledge of the intentions of the suspects and a general geographical knowledge of the suspects homes location. CONCLUSIONS It is clear from the text that the suspects had contact with outside parties in preparation for the attack on Columbine High School. The suspects had expressed a desire to inflict casualties through the use of explosives and incendiaries and since the text referenced enemies there was probably a description given as to the intended target by the suspects to the writer of this document. Firearms are conspicuous by their absence in this document. This may be due to several possible scenarios: 1. The suspects originally intended to mount the attack using only improvised offensive weapons i.e.. explosives and incendiaries, this is unlikely but still a possibility. 2. The suspects were compartmentalizing discussions with outside parties regarding weapons and tactics. This is more likely and is probably the operative method in this case. This would then raise the strong possibility of the foreknowledge and participation in this scheme by others in addition to the writer of this document. The document as contained herein also indicates that the writer has had a long history of working with improvised weaponry and it is likely that the individual in question has had run ins with authorities in the past. It is also highly likely that the individual is a resident of Colorado and lives in the vicinity of Denver or in the North South Corridor formed along Interstate 25 due to the knowledge of and reference to a local hobby shop chain. The writer may have been involved in an accident with improvised explosive devices in the past or is associated with someone who has, this is likely due to certain references of care to be taken during final assembly of the pipe bombs. The writer also appears to be young and has probably conducted some of the experimentation while under a parents roof. This is indicated in the references to almost being discovered and advice regarding safeguards to be undertaken while working on the pipe bombs and incendiaries. The writer may also have been a member of a military family that had an adverse result during the Gulf War, another possibility is that the individuals family may have been adversely affected during the Gulf War. Certain communities suffered economically when troops at nearby bases were deployed to the Gulf. The document supports the conclusion that the suspects Harris and Klebold had a long term planning and preparation period leading up to the attack. Also supported strongly is the conclusion that others were involved in and had foreknowledge of the attack at Columbine High School. There is also the strong possibility that the individual providing this guidance to the suspects will become involved in some future violent act with improvised weapons of this individual's own design and fabrication. Finally due to the fact that the document appears to have originated from chat sessions on the Internet the possibility that there are others involved and possibly other groups planning similar attacks cannot be discounted. Prudence dictates that all schools are at risk and that educators and local law enforcement agencies should be on the look out for possible warning signs of an impending attack by others. It is apparent here that the Internet was used as a means of communications and in the acquisition of tactical and technical knowledge. This creates the possibility that others involved could be located over a wide spread area. Much emphasis has been placed on the availability of bomb making instructions on the Internet and certainly various publications are available. It should be noted here that these publications pose more of a threat to the ones who would experiment with them as they are frequently filled with bad advice. These publications did not originate with the Internet but have been available in one form or another for a number of years, they have proliferated with the advent of the Internet. The document analyzed here is not a copy of one of these publications but is a narrative produced for a specific purpose by an unknown individual. The instructions and advice contained while having a sound basis indicating experience in fabricating the devices are also crude and are probably not the final word on instructions received by the suspects. Therefore authorities should look to the involvement of other persons in the planning of the attack on Columbine High School. The involvement of these persons was in all probability over the long term and in a compartmentalized fashion. There are in all probability multiple sources of information for the following areas: 1. Improvised explosives and incendiaries 2. Firearms 3. Tactics and Operational Plans It is entirely likely that some of the assistance came from adults and that some of the adults were associated with groups that advocate violence and anarchy. The suspects were not e only parties involved in the direct planning and prosecution of the attack on Columbine High School. If the investigation is continued and given sufficient resources it is entirely likely that others will eventually be found that played a direct hand in the attack on Columbine High School. GRAPHIC FROM THE SUSPECT WEBSITE This is the graphic that was displayed on the suspect Web Site and is significant in it's content. In the background various light sketches can be seen, these are actually diagrams from the reverse side of the page which appears to come from a notebook kept by one of the suspects. The diagrams depict various improvised explosive devices and a retractable knife device worn on the forearm. The principle sketches are significant in that they show the planning and fantasies of the suspect that drew the sketches along with some of the life influences that may have a bearing on motivation. In the upper right hand corner there is a drawing of a firearm which has the generic appearance of a Tec-9 which is one of the weapons used in the attack. It is highly likely that at the time this sketch was drawn the suspects had already acquired this weapon. Just below and to the left of the "Tec-9" sketch is a small cartoon depicted holding what appears to be two "Tec-9" style weapons, this is probably just a doodle on the part of the artist but the style is large feature format reminiscent of the graphics of some video games. Large style graphics are used to reduce detail and thus reduce the necessary file size required to run the game. At the left center is a sketch of an individual with a tactical type vest brandishing two weapons depicted as firing down into a victim, the victim is depicted in such a way as to suggest that the desire is to dismember the victim with gunfire. This is probably a fantasy depiction of the artist thinking forward to the planned attack at Columbine High School, it is interesting to note that the shooter is portrayed as attacking from an elevated position possibly indicating thought as to tactics to be used in the attack. To the right center is the depiction of a character holding a sawed off shotgun in one hand and a knife in the other standing over a pile of skulls. The style is reminiscent of artwork associated with some industrial rock bands and is generally consistent with the fascination with death that these groups can propagate in their music and general philosophy. The figure has a cross symbol on the chest which has equal length components, this may have been an aborted attempt at drawing a swastika on the part of the artist. Finally at the bottom roughly centered on the page is a depiction of one of the demon characters from the Doom video game. The effect of the game on the suspects cannot be discounted since the text which is contained above came from the DOOM2 directory of the home computer of Eric Harris. CONCLUSIONS The collection of images indicate that there was clear forethought with respect to the attack on Columbine High School and provide the basis for a firm link between the attack and the influences of the Video Games and music groups that the suspects followed and engaged in both in participation and in the philosophical directions that the suspects chose. The heavy preoccupation with death and the lack of value for human life propagated by the societal groups that make up the industrial and shock rock segments of the entertainment industry coupled with the preoccupation of many of the fans contained in this societal segment with violent video games can produce an outcome consistent with the behavior exhibited by the suspects. Many violent video games become interactive simulators for violent acts to be perpetrated later. The game player is presented with a variety of opponents some which are human characters which must be defeated by the termination of the video opponent many times by use of a virtual firearm. The simulator effect cannot be discounted as the scenarios are played out time after time in an increasingly vivid display. When one stops to consider that astronauts practiced in early simulators that were nothing more than a painted depiction of the panel they would ultimately use, factoring in the technological state of some video games combined with the multisensory interaction of the participant the game can become a script for life, much in the same way that spacecraft and aircraft simulator sessions become scripts for real operational environments. This scripting or hard wiring of the individual towards a possible violent behavior pattern in real world settings coupled with a disregard for human life is a dangerous combination and may be present in numerous individuals who are ticking time bombs. Further study of this phenomenon is indicated along with protective measures such the possible use of warning labels on products such as music with violent, racist or pornographic content, violent video games and a warning system for web sites that portray or promote these products. While the industry will cry censorship, prudent use of a dictionary is indicated and the suggested actions contained herein should be seen for what they are, simple warnings about content and truth in labeling as far as contents of the products. This is the equivalent of food content labeling or warning labels on tobacco products. It is evident that violent media input had a hand in the formation of the suspects life outlooks and goals. It is also clear that those life outlooks and goals had disastrous effects for the victims of the Columbine High School Massacre. If further similar acts are to be prevented it is necessary for society to look at the root causes of this behavior and take realistic and firm steps toward addressing the issues at hand. This includes not only guns and explosives but the societal factors that contribute to the willingness of individuals to use such weapons in the indiscriminate taking of other human lives. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS DOCUMENT IN THE ADOBE ACROBAT PDF VERSION