Even though this device has been discredited, it is still in use in Iraq. This is cognitive dissonance at its finest. And downright insane. Bomb Detectors May be a Fraud, But They’re Still Everywhere in Iraq – Wall Street Journal – WSJ.com. The Iraqi government bought about 6,000 such devices for $40 million between 2008 and 2010, according to the BBC, which aired an investigation of Mr. McCormick in 2010. During the trial, the Old Bailey heard that Mr. McCormick had copied the design from a $20 novelty golf ball finder he had seen in the United States. While many checkpoints use sniffing dogs and mirrors to check the undersides of truck and car carriages for bombs, Mr. McCormick’s so-called “ADE 651” is still the most ubiquitous of all bomb-detecting devices. When asked why security forces still use such obviously fake gizmos, a spokesman for Iraq’s Ministry of Interior, Brigadier General Sa’ad Ma’an, said the ADEs have a proven, if imperfect, track record. “Our practical experience on the ground proved that this device is working and it helped us discover explosive materials and weapons,” he said. “So I’m not saying that the device is working 100%, but it helped us [...]
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