By Lee Hyo-sik
Police are conducting an investigation into dealings of toxic materials and homemade explosive materials in cyberspace in a bid to prevent potential terrorist attacks, following a bomb blast and mass killing in Norway last Friday.
The Cyber Terror Response Center said Wednesday that district police agencies across the country are looking into individuals who have posted messages concerning toxic materials and easy-to-make explosives on online bulletin boards and blogs
The center said the “Nuri Cops,” honorary cyber police officers who monitor potential criminal activity on the Internet, detected a total of 6,932 online postings from June 13 to July 26, which promoted suicide, the use of explosives and other illicit acts. Of the 6,932 postings, 139 were related to the sale of toxic substances and homemade explosives.
“In light of what happened in Norway, the public has become more concerned about possible terrorist attacks. Police have beefed up efforts to check whether there are people who are planning similar attacks here,” a police officer said.
On July 22, eight people were killed in a blast in Oslo and 68 more were gunned down on the island of Utoya, in a country regarded as one of the safest places on the planet.
The officer said those who publicize how to manufacture and use explosives and other harmful substances online will be prosecuted, adding individuals buying and selling such materials with the intent to use them against others will face much graver consequences.
“Police have asked portal sites to remove such postings from their domains. We have been working to secure the identities of individuals who posted the messages and others who contacted them in a bid to trade harmful materials. We will conduct a thorough investigation to bring everyone involved to justice,” he said.
One blogger posted a message on a portal site telling how to make a homemade bomb with potassium nitrate, a plastic bottle and a shoe lace. An online cafe with 250 members had detailed instructions on how to make various homemade bombs, daggers and other lethal weapons.