# Do suicide bombers and bystanders feel pain? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 2, 2018, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148 "2018-07-02T09:06:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EricaRoche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3da27b/32.png) [@EricaRoche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EricaRoche)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/1 "2018-07-02T09:06:48Z")
Just wondering after watching a documentary on the London 7/7 attacks and there was some controversy of whether the terrorists used H2o2 or TATP. But that’s not the question, here. I’m wondering if the 4 bombers felt any pain when they detonated their vests. What about those around them? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/2 "2018-07-02T10:35:10Z")
High explosives detonate at speeds greater than 5,000 of meters per second. C4, for example, is over 8,000m/s. Nerve cells transmit signals to your brain at speeds as slow as 1/2m per second. A suicide bomber feels nothing. As for those around him, it depends on their proximity to the explosion, the size of the blast and what stands between them and the bomber. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/3 "2018-07-02T10:44:50Z")
I could tell you of the pain I saw in the faces of two people who went to identify one of the bodies of the slain. But this isn’t the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/4 "2018-07-02T11:45:48Z")
I’m pretty sure \*this \*bomber felt pain: > [@](#): > > Another man exited the car and ran into the terminal building while he was on fire and began writhing on the ground, before being kicked in the testicles by an airport employee > **[2007 Glasgow Airport attack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Glasgow_Airport_attack)** > > The Glasgow Airport attack was a terrorist ramming attack which occurred on 30 June 2007, at 15:11 BST, when a dark green Jeep Cherokee loaded with propane canisters was driven at the glass doors of the Glasgow Airport terminal and set ablaze. The car's driver was severely burnt in the ensuing fire, and five members of the public were injured, none seriously. Some injuries were sustained by those assisting the police in detaining the occupants. A close link was quickly established to the 2007 ... ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/5 "2018-07-02T11:52:56Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I’m pretty sure \*this \*bomber felt pain: > > [2007 Glasgow Airport attack - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Glasgow_Airport_attack) No suicide vests involved in that one. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/6 "2018-07-02T14:54:16Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I could tell you of the pain I saw in the faces of two people who went to identify one of the bodies of the slain. But this isn’t the Pit. **Moderator Note** This being GQ, let’s restrict this to the scientific aspects of the question. If you want to discuss the emotional pain caused by suicide bombers, you can take it to the Pit. Colibri General Questions Moderatro ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/7 "2018-07-02T15:03:20Z")
> [@EricaRoche](#): > > Just wondering after watching a documentary on the London 7/7 attacks and there was some controversy of whether the terrorists used H2o2 or TATP. But that’s not the question, here. > > I’m wondering if the 4 bombers felt any pain when they detonated their vests. What about those around them? Are you using “bystander” to mean “the people killed instantly or as if”? That’s not what that word normally means. The people who were hit by those or any other explosions felt more or less pain depending on the severity and location of the wounds, whether they were conscious… each of them will have been a different case. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/8 "2018-07-02T17:13:06Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I’m pretty sure \*this \*bomber felt pain: > > [2007 Glasgow Airport attack - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Glasgow_Airport_attack) you left out the best part: > [@](#): > > Another man exited the car and ran into the terminal building while he was on fire and began writhing on the ground, before being kicked in the testicles by an airport employee, John Smeaton, who was awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for his heroism. THAT is Scotland in a nutshell. Uh, so to speak. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/9 "2018-07-02T17:53:11Z")
Since, apparently, the head of a suicide bomber is detached from the torso, it seems possible that their brain might still be working as it flies through the air. Whether it senses pain or not is hard to tell, but likely not. > [@](#): > > The bombs generally blow the torso of the bomber to bits but leave the head intact. It is often found somewhere in the vicinity of the blast. When the bomb explodes it often sends the head of the bomber flying and leaves only a leg or two behind. Sometimes the head is found dozens of meters away. Other times it goes flying through a window. > > [SUICIDE BOMBS AND SUICIDE BOMBERS | Facts and Details](http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat58/sub384/item2392.html) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/10 "2018-07-02T18:02:45Z")
The only factual answer is a) yes, they feel pain if they survive and b) nobody knows if they feel pain if they immediately die. It’s very likely that they do not, as Bear\_Nenno explained. That’s as close to a factual answer as we can get. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/11 "2018-07-02T18:13:03Z")
I am not a doctor, but I’m sure the answer depends on entirely on what kind of wounds are inflicted. If the bomb is powerful enough to destroy the brain in a millisecond, then yes, probably no pain. But I believe there have been suicide bombings in which the bomber’s head was found relatively intact. In that situation I would surmise he did indeed feel pain, just like how a decapitation victim has 10-30 seconds of consciousness to think, “Wow my neck hurts.” As for their victims and bystanders, I would guess that most DO feel pain, except for those whose brains are instantly blown to smithereens. If you have big shrapnel going into your body that doesn’t kill you instantly, it WILL hurt. If you suffer any injury or death-method that isn’t instant, you will feel lots of pain. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/12 "2018-07-02T18:23:44Z")
Wouldn’t the shockwave from the bomb (at 5000 m/s) pretty much result in instant unconsciousness as well as probably pulp the brain, even if the head detaches? I mean, it’s enough to blow holes in concrete, etc… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/13 "2018-07-02T18:57:26Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > But I believe there have been suicide bombings in which the bomber’s head was found relatively intact. In that situation I would surmise he did indeed feel pain, just like how a decapitation victim has 10-30 seconds of consciousness to think, “Wow my neck hurts.” I know of no good evidence for this. People talk about it a lot, and anecdotes abound, but even those are mostly from “clean” guillotine deaths rather than traumatic shock. There are a lot of threads on this on the Dope, including a couple of Cecil columns. Real scientific evidence is nil, though. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/14 "2018-07-02T21:07:14Z")
Even if the head is relatively intact, the ‘G’ forces on it would amost certainly cause instant blackout. A high explosive delivers an incredibly sharp impulse. Initial acceleration away from the explosion would be massive, as the explosive impulse is over in milliseconds. If the head is being thrown many meters away, it would be worse than being hit with a baseball bat. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/15 "2018-07-02T22:32:19Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > But I believe there have been suicide bombings in which the bomber’s head was found relatively intact. In that situation I would surmise he did indeed feel pain, just like how a decapitation victim has 10-30 seconds of consciousness to think, “Wow my neck hurts.” Do you have a cite for that? While I have heard such claims before (that when the executioner holds their head up after the guillotine, they like see & signal with their eyes), thought they had all been debunked by modern science. That any movements observed were involuntary responses from dying muscles. I’d be interested if there are now valid scientific questions about this. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/16 "2018-07-02T23:38:44Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > THAT is Scotland in a nutshell. Uh, so to speak. Smeaton got most of the publicity, largely due to giving a understandably wired-to-the-moon TV interview shortly afterwards, and to be fair he did wade in, but he wasn’t the only one. The guy who broke his foot kicking the burning terrorist in the balls was a taxi driver called Alex McIlveen. In total, six members of the public and two police officers received gallantry awards for their actions that day. > **[Ten years on from Glasgow Airport terror we celebrate heroes who saved lives](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/ten-years-glasgow-airport-terror-10716113)** > > A decade ago today twisted terrorists Kafeel Ahmed and Bilal Abdulla were thwarted by eight brave Scots who sprang into action to help foil the bombers. So, yeah, don’t fuck with Glasgow is a pretty good rule in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/17 "2018-07-03T01:16:35Z")
Again, sensitivity trumps science. There are many things that could be established by science, but various antivivesectionist leagues intervene. Electrodes could bed hooked up to test subjects, and then the readings observed remotely when they feel extreme pain. Then blow the subjects up and compare the electrode impulses. However. such a test has never been administered by legitimate science, because the politically correct number of test subjects (both human and mammalian) consistently wallows in the zero range. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/18 "2018-07-03T02:31:44Z")
That reads very oddly. 1. I’m fairly certain that pain studies have been done. Specifying whether they’re done at a Nazi concentration camp or not hardly seems like political correctness. 2. Are you volunteering for human subjects trials? ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/19 "2018-07-03T04:28:05Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Again, sensitivity trumps science. There are many things that could be established by science, but various antivivesectionist leagues intervene. > > Electrodes could bed hooked up to test subjects, and then the readings observed remotely when they feel extreme pain. Then blow the subjects up and compare the electrode impulses. However. such a test has never been administered by legitimate science, because the politically correct number of test subjects (both human and mammalian) consistently wallows in the zero range. It’s because of those damn PC police isn’t it. Otherwise we’d be randomly blowing people up in the name of SCIENCE! ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148/20 "2018-07-03T04:50:34Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > It’s because of those damn PC police isn’t it. Otherwise we’d be randomly blowing people up in the name of SCIENCE! I never said “randomly”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-suicide-bombers-and-bystanders-feel-pain/817148.md?page=2)