User talk:74.96.29.22

May 2023
Hello, I'm --WikiUser1234945--. I noticed that in this edit to USS Cole bombing, you removed content without adequately explaining why. In the future, it would be helpful to others if you described your changes to Wikipedia with an edit summary. If this was a mistake, don't worry, the removed content has been restored. If you think I made a mistake, or if you have any questions, you can leave me a message on my talk page. Thank you. --WikiUser1234945-- (talk) 19:00, 26 May 2023 (UTC)


 * Ah, I did not see a location to provide an explanation for the change. The edit was not a mistake. The section of the article in question should be removed as it is misleading. The wiki section paraphrases Robert Finke in a 2000 panel interview, and states "the blast appeared to be caused by C4 explosives molded into a shaped charge against the hull of the boat". There are multiple problems with the sentence. Firstly, Finke never mentioned C4. He speculated semtex "or some other explosive". But more importantly, even an accurate portrayal of his speculation that the attack could have used a shaped charge, is incorrect.
 * The CNN interview aired Oct 18 2010 (four days after the bombing). Finke was not involved in the investigation in any capacity, he was a retired CIA and ATF officer, and was brought on by CNN to provide opinions for the interview. No subsequent source on the bombing mentions the explosive being a shaped charge. No official documentation, including the FBI's page on the event, does either.
 * Finke's full quote is:
 * "Well, Roger, based on what I've seen, I have some difficulty. I think it's a very complex situation here.  Number one, I have not heard conclusively was the boat fiberglass or was it a Zodiac type.  If it were, say, the fiberglass type, they could have had explosives, either very high like Symtex or some other type of explosive, molded to form a shape charge. Now, based on the hole in the side of the ship, I have a strong feeling that some of those explosives were carried below the water line on that boat that went up to help moor it."
 * Fike's quote is misrepresented in the Wiki article as definitively stating the attack appeared to be from a C4 shaped charge. The sentence is sourced from speculation in the days immediately after the attack rather than from later definitive investigations. And it incorrectly proposes the explosive used in the attack was configured as a shaped charge.
 * I'll see if I can figure out where to put the edit explanation and re-commit the change. Foundation12 (talk) 18:49, 28 May 2023 (UTC)