The Fallout from Foxconn's Deadly Explosion

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Shares of Foxconn's parent company Hon Hai fell as much as 5 percent Monday following the explosion that killed 3 people and injured several more in South Western China on Friday. Hon Hai, the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer, said Monday it's closing all of its polishing plants for inspection, a move that could delay new shipments of Apple's popular iPad 2 tablet computers. Here's the latest on the explosion and what it means for Apple.

The explosion In a press release, Foxconn said that initial findings point to an "explosion of combustible dust in a duct" that caused the accident. However, it's "still being investigated by a joint investigation task force led by government officials and law enforcement authorities." Star Chang at M.I.C. Gadget reports that many Foxconn workers are too scared to describe what happened at the plant for fear of reprisal from their superiors. The Los Angeles Times' Benjamin Haas digs a little deeper and finds that the explosion could be due to malfeasance on the part of Foxconn, as workplace hazards were reported at the plant. "Workers told us that the polishing department windows were shut and there was aluminum dust floating in the air," says Cheng Yi Yi, a member of a corporate watchdog group. "The facility wasn't even completed. There were prime conditions for an accident." Filiup Truta at Softpedia wonders if the accident will spark another "wave of suicides" at the plant, as the manufacturer works its employees harder to play catchup.

The effect on Apple Speaking of catchup, Christian Zibreg at 9 to 5 Mac says the explosion could affect up to a third of Apple's total iPad 2 output, not a promising sign for a gadget already facing the "mother of all backlogs." The information comes from the Asian trade publication DigiTimes, whose sources say "Foxconn’s Chengdu site shipped 25-30% of the total iPad 2 devices shipped in April, while its Shenzhen site made up the remainder." Meanwhile an analyst at Barclays Capital tells the Wall Street Journal that the explosion shouldn't cause significant delays. "Even in a worst-case scenario in which there are significant iPad 2 production disruptions in Chengdu in terms of either metal casing component shortages or assembly line shutdown, we expect Hon Hai's original facilities in Shenzhen could quickly make up some of the shortfall from Chengdu by ramping up the idle capacity," he said. Apple shares opened lower in Europe Monday.

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When the FBI discovered a network of Bosnian-Americans giving support to terrorists, they also discovered Abdullah Ramo Pazara, a U.S. citizen and a battalion commander in Syria.

Abdullah Ramo Pazara had a craving for packets of instant hot cocoa. The Bosnian-American former truck driver was, at the time, a commander of an Islamic State tank battalion in Syria. Apparently, even foreign fighters who reject their former lives in Western countries for a chance at martyrdom for ISIS sometimes long for the creature comforts of their previous homes.

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In 2013, six Bosnian immigrants in the United States allegedly sent money, riflescopes, knives, military equipment, and other supplies to jihadists in Syria and Iraq through intermediaries in Bosnia and Turkey. According to the U.S. government’s allegations, individual ISIS fighters would make specific requests—mostly for money and military equipment—and the group would then raise funds and send supplies to Syria. The requests included what was surely an unexpected revelation of nostalgia—packets of Swiss Miss hot cocoa. By sending the cocoa mix and other supplies, federal prosecutors argue, these U.S.-based Bosnians provided what is known as “material support” to terrorists, in violation of the Patriot Act.