12/11/1994

On December 11, 1994, “Using apparently innocuous parts consisting of a Casio DBC-61 watch as a timer and diluted nitroglycerine in a contact lens cleanser bottle, [World Trade Center bomber Ramzi] Yousef boards PAL Flight 434 and builds the bomb on the first leg of the two-leg flight.” After placing the assembled device under a seat by the center fuel tank, he deplanes. On the second leg, while bound for Japan, “the Casio alarm ignites the filament of a broken bulb Yousef has embedded in the nitrocellulose explosive. The bomb detonates–killing the passenger in 26K and narrowly missing the center fuel tank. The 747 is forced to make an emergency landing in Okinawa.”

 – Peter Lance, Triple Cross, (Timeline) Page 14