NCJ Number
200903
Date Published
2002
Length
0 pages
Annotation
In addition to providing information and statistics on bombing incidents reported in 1998 for the United States and its territories, this report presents statistics on hoax devices, recoveries of improvised devices, explosives, and military ordnance.
Abstract
The data presented were collected and reported in accordance with the provisions specified in the Uniform Federal Crime Reporting Act of 1929, as amended. This encompasses data recorded by Federal, State, and local public safety agencies, who make significant contributions in reporting this data to the FBI. The data show incidents by month and year, as well as by region and State. There were 2,300 bombing incidents reported to the Bomb Data Center 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 of the incidents 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 the Western States, and 24 percent occurred in the Southern States. Most of the attacks (64 percent) were perpetrated between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. The remaining incidents were evenly distributed between the late morning and afternoon hours. Sixty percent of the bombings that targeted educational facilities occurred during the early morning and daytime hours. Casualties numbered 16 in 1998 compared to 18 in 1997. Damage to property was estimated at $6 million. Extensive charts