Callum Jones
Incredible footage circulating online reveals how police were able to defuse a bomb it was placed by two men who then demanded a massive payday.
I mean, the situation is a worst nightmare for officials, but they were somehow able to get a somewhat positive outcome from the situation.
Back in August 1980, the 26th to be specific, two men pretending to deliver an IBM copy machine instead placed a bomb in Harvey’s Resort Hotel and Casino in Stateline, Nevada.
Advert
As per the FBI website, an ominous note was left on the package.
It read: "Do not move or tilt this bomb, because the mechanism controlling the detonators in it will set it off at a movement of less than .01 of the open end Ricter (sic) scale.
"Do not try to take it apart. The flathead screws are also attached to triggers and as much as ¼ to ¾ of a turn will cause an explosion. …This bomb is so sensitive that the slightest movement either inside or outside will cause it to explode.
"This bomb can never be dismantled or disarmed without causing an explosion. Not even by the creator."
It was John Birges who was later discovered as the 'creator', and he wasn't going to give officials instructions on how to disable it without something in return.
Birges wanted a whopping $3 million in cash to defuse the potentially deadly device.
Containing nearly 1,000 pounds of dynamite, the bomb was carefully created to ensure police had a tricky time dismantling it.
Officials had to bring in countless experts to the scene to figure out how to best deal with the issue, including retired Special Agent Chris Ronay.
"We had never seen anything quite like it," he said.
Fascinating footage captured the moment police defused the bomb, and it documented how exactly they went about it.
It took them more than 30 hours for police to agree on the plan, but they ultimately decided to use a shaped charge of C4 explosive.
You may think using another explosive to defuse the bomb is a recipe for disaster, but experts thought it could be useful in separating the detonator wiring from the deadly dynamite.
Officials did safely manage to remove the bomb after a huge evacuation job, though the explosive ultimately, well, exploded.
A five-story crater was ultimately created in the hotel, but thankfully, there were no injuries or deaths.
As for Birges, he never got the $3 million, and was sent to jail.