Amazing killer blast clues from British scientist's breakthrough

AMAZING forensic research pioneered in Britain is being used to track down Taliban bombers - by the fingerprints found on their devices AFTER they've blown up.

Dr John Bond, a researcher at the University of Leicester, developed the technique to uncover prints from blast shrapnel and bomb casings.

It means allied troops in Afganistan can now establish exactly who made a deadly improvised explosive device - then hunt out their hiding places.

The technique is already used worldwide to help identify suspects in cold case murder investigations by analysing bullet shell casings.

Now the US Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS) has adopted it in Iraq and Afghanistan to build up a database of the bombers who have killed hundreds of troops and military personnel with their crude, home-made roadside bombs.

Tests were first carried out in Iraq, to check if the Middle East's climate would cause problems to prints left by marines on brass and copper. Dr Bond explained: "By applying an electric charge to metal coated in a fine conducting powder, like that used in photocopiers, we can get a detailed print.

Source: News of the world