Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center (TEDAC) 

When a bomb goes off, it leaves clues behind. DNA, fingerprints, and other materials can help identify bombers. Finding and using this information takes top-notch scientific expertise.

The FBI Laboratory’s Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center (TEDAC) is a multi-agency center that coordinates bomb-related evidence and intelligence collection for the U.S. government.TEDAC’s experts analyze bombs. They also support law enforcement, the intelligence community, military, border protection, and science and technology partners.

Created in 2003 and located in Huntsville, Alabama, TEDAC provides direct support in:

  • bombing crime scene investigations
  • searching bomb factories and safe houses
  • deploying to major bombings, both in the U.S. and internationally
  • providing expertise on major bombing scenes
  • training FBI and law enforcement personnel

TEDAC also provides expert witness testimony in court regarding the results of examinations.

TEDAC is the government's single repository for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that have been collected or are of interest to the U.S. government.

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TEDAC's work 

Analysis

TEDAC’s scientists and bomb experts analyze every piece of evidence they receive from a bomb scene. To do this, they look at:


  • chemicals
  • DNA
  • electronic data
  • latent fingerprints
  • toolmarks
  • trace evidence

Intelligence

TEDAC’s Intelligence Unit is composed of analysts from the FBI, Department of Defense, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

TEDAC’s analysis helps generate intelligence to:

  • connect TEDAC’s forensic examination of IEDs with past bomb events, tying bombs to bomb makers
  • link explosives from separate incidents
  • learn how a device was created
  • share critical information and reports with the military, law enforcement, bomb technicians, and others who need it worldwide
  • predict the nature of possible future attacks
  • develop countermeasures or new detection techniques, thereby addressing security and intelligence gaps to further protect the homeland, our troops overseas, and our foreign partners

Partnerships

TEDAC personnel:

  • train partners on crime scene and terrorism investigations
  • assist international agencies
  • share fingerprint images with other agencies for sharing biometric intelligence
  • link bombing incidents when it’s difficult to collect biometric information
  • create and characterize explosives to understand their hazards and learn the best detection methods, in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security



Vehicle Explosion

A vehicle packed with an explosive mixture and placed about 700 yards away explodes during a training exercise.

Photo gallery 

Resources 

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Terrorism

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