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Witness History: The Invention of Semtex

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02/04/2018 GMT

The Invention of Semtex

BBC World Service - Witness History, The Invention of Semtex

The Czech plastic explosive that was once undetectable to security services

The plastic explosive created in communist Czechoslovakia.  Malleable, odourless and stable it was once the weapon of choice for those seeking to spread terror.

The plastic explosive was malleable, odourless and stable.  Created in communist Czechoslovakia in the town of Semtin in 1958, it was once the weapon of choice for those seeking to spread terror.  Maria Jevstafjeva has been speaking to the brother of Stanislav Brebera, the chemist who invented it.

Photo: Two workers display Semtex, a Czech-made industrial and military plastic explosive at Syntesia chemical plant in Semtin, Credit: Lubomir Kotek/AFP/Getty Images

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