Understanding, tracking and preventing the use of home-made explosives
When it comes to fighting terrorism, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Law enforcement agencies require an arsenal of tools capable of addressing not only existing threats, but evolving ones too. One of those evolving threats is the use of home-made explosives. Helping to address this growing threat is the ODYSSEUS(opens in new window) project. According to project host the Bulgarian Defence Institute(opens in new window) (BDI), terrorists are using the internet to discreetly source legitimate chemical substances, turning everyday materials into home-made explosives.
From artificial intelligence to autonomous drones
The BDI-coordinated project has developed a comprehensive solution to help law enforcement and security services better understand, track and prevent the use of home-made explosives. The solution includes an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered, open-source intelligence platform that can uncover those threats hidden online. It can also be used to monitor supply chains and track the circulation of chemicals that could be used to make explosives. In addition, the project developed cutting-edge land and aerial drones that can be deployed to autonomously detect traces of chemicals used in home-made explosive devices. If such chemicals are found in the air or water, the ODYSSEUS Threat Assessment and Decision Support tool (TAS) calculates the risk level and then presents this information to users via the ODYSSEUS Dashboard. All of the project’s solutions are designed to seamlessly work together to prevent a terrorist threat before it has a chance to even begin. The project followed strict ethics and privacy-by-design principles in the development of its solutions.
Tested in real operational scenarios
The ODYSSEUS solution was fully tested in real-world operational scenarios across Europe. In Italy, a remotely operated water sampling system was deployed to determine the concentration of a chemical compound found in a sewer network. With this information, security teams were able to trace its release source. During a field test in Greece, the national police had a chance to get hands-on experience using the solution to detect airborne and water-based chemicals that could indicate the presence of a home-made explosive. Users also had an opportunity to test the project’s AI-driven web and supply chain monitoring capabilities.
An important new antiterrorism tool
Late last year, ODYSSEUS held its final conference at the Central Military Club in Sofia, Bulgaria. During the event, the project’s partners(opens in new window) discussed both outcomes and future steps. The conference also featured presentations by other security-related EU-funded projects, including INHERIT, MELCHIOR(opens in new window) and STBERNARD, amongst others. The key takeaway: law enforcement now has another important tool to add to their ever-growing arsenal of solutions for effectively detecting and preventing emerging terrorist threats.
Keywords
ODYSSEUS, explosive, home-made, supply chain, decision support