Series 5 Episode 4: Bomb Makers

three coordinated attacks on a railway station, a bridge and a gasworks.

James Crossland is Professor of International History at Liverpool John Moores University.

And so it's critical infrastructure, timed IEDs, It's designed to create that sense of, again, this is the sort of sophisticated stuff that we think about today in terms of terrorist tactics.

Having multiple attacks go off in a single locale, it creates a panic, it creates a sense of instability in the city or the town where it's happening.

This is what they're thinking when they plan these attacks.

With regard to the explosion in the Caledonian shed on Sunday morning, it is stated that there was no gas in the shed and it is supposed the explosion was caused by dynamite being placed under the platform by someone but whether the intention was to blow up the empty shed or wreck the surrounding property is of course unknown.

The floor joists were broken downward along a line extending roughly from near the east corner to about the centre of the north-west end.

Some of the planking of the floor was also shattered along a corresponding line, and parts of the planking were not merely broken but splintered and the wooden places macerated.

The destruction was most complete towards the north-west end of the shed, and it was in this direction that the most violent effects had been produced outside the shed.

Thus, a quantity of bricks had been projected with considerable violence against the wall and door of the bothy, and immediately over the door a piece of projected debris had completely penetrated the brickwork, making a jagged hole.

The explosion was observed by Thomas Smith,

I was in charge of my engine near a shed at the Buchanan Street station at the Caledonian Railway.

I was there shortly after one o'clock in the morning, having just arrived from St Rollock's, when all of a sudden I heard the noise of the shed blowing up and I saw what seemed like a rocket going up at the time.

The sound resembled a cannon but was much louder I think.

The shed was one which was used for coaling or coking engines.

I heard the noise of timbers breaking and I saw bricks and pieces of wood flying about.

I directed my inquiries to the possibility of the explosion having been caused by an accumulation of gas from coals possibly remaining in the shed, or by an accumulation of benzene vapour.

I satisfied myself that any such explanation of the occurrence would be quite untenable.

The official report of Colonel Magendi into the recent explosions at Glasgow, published today, says it is abundantly clear that all three explosions were wilfully effected by evil disposed persons.

The explosive was a nitro compound not licensed for use or sold in this country.

There can, I regret to say, be no doubt that the explosion was deliberately planned and effected.

It forms no part of my duty to inquire into the motives which may have actuated the perpetrators of this outrage, whoever they may have been.

This is an aspect of the question which falls to the police, and not to me, to explore.

But planned and affected by who and why? Chris Hester was a bomb scene investigator in counter-terrorism policing for 11 years and is now a post-blast investigator and forensic consultant.

I asked Chris why he'd be thinking now if he was stepping back in time to 1883.