A proxy bomb is a bomb carried by someone who is not affiliated with the cause that the bomb is supposed to be advancing. These innocent individuals are forced to carry bombs through a variety of coercive tactics, and in some regions of the world, proxy bombs are a serious threat. This technique supposedly developed in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the 1990s, spreading from there to FARC guerrillas in Colombia, the Taliban in Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda in the Middle East, and other revolutionary organizations.
Proxy bombers work much like suicide bombers. They may carry the bomb on their persons, or be forced to drive a car bomb to a set location. The bomb may be detonated remotely, triggered by the bomber, or put on a timer which triggers the bomb at a certain location or time. In all cases, the proxy bomber dies due to his or her proximity to the bomb.
Initially, a person forced to act as a proxy bomb may be written off as a suicide bomber, until investigation reveals the fact that he or she was actually coerced. The most common technique for coercing someone to act as a proxy bomb is kidnapping, with the kidnappers holding someone's family hostage until he or she agrees to deliver to bomb. Coercion can take other forms as well, with the end goal on the part of the terrorists being to instill so much fear that the person feels there is no choice.
The advantage to using a proxy bomb is that the person will not be viewed with suspicion as he or she passes checkpoints. Members of militant and terrorist organizations may be flagged by law enforcement, even if their links to illegal activity cannot be proved, so they would be subject to scrutiny when passing vulnerable areas. A proxy bomb, however, appears entirely innocent, sometimes passing without being detained, and thereby penetrating a sensitive area where the bomb can do a great deal of damage.
The use of proxy bombs attracted a great deal of attention in the 1990s, when they were used in several IRA campaigns to devastating effect. However, these plans ended up backfiring, as public opinion turned against the IRA, since many people were shocked by the proxy bomb tactic. This has not stopped the spread of the technique to other troubled areas of the world, unfortunately, but it still remains relatively rare.