From London to Brussels to Manchester: ‘Mother of Satan’ emerges in Delhi Red Fort probe

NEW DELHI: Delhi blast investigators suspect that triacetone triperoxide explosive aka TATP could be one of the key components of the IED that was in the car that exploded on 11 of November, Monday evening near Red Fort.

TATP, has been used in several major bombings across the world over the past two decades, earning the nickname “mother of satan” due to its extreme volatility and destructive power.


Cheap and easy to manufacture using household chemicals, TATP has become the explosive of choice for many terror groups because it is difficult to detect and capable of producing massive blasts.

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One of the earliest known plots involving TATP came in December 2001, when Richard Reid, later known as the “Shoe Bomber”, attempted to blow up American Airlines Flight 63. He had hidden a TATP device inside the sole of his shoe, but passengers and crew overpowered him before he could trigger the explosive.

One of the most devastating attacks involving TATP was the July 2005 London bombings (7/7)
Four coordinated suicide attacks targeted London's public transport system, killing 52 people and injuring hundreds, TATP was the main explosive used in the devices

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A decade later, in November 2015, TATP once again played a central role in the horrific Paris attacks, a series of coordinated attacks, including mass shootings and suicide bombings, took place across Paris, resulting in 130 deaths. TATP was used in the suicide vests worn by the attackers.

The explosive was also used in the March 2016 Brussels bombings, where coordinated suicide attacks at Brussels Airport and the Maalbeek metro station killed 32 civilians and injured more than 300.

In the May 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, a suicide bomber detonated a TATP-based device at the exit of an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people, including children, and injuring over 1,000.