NCJ Number
198553
Journal
Jane's Terrorism & Security Monitor Dated: September 2002 Pages: 1-2
Date Published
September 2002
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This document discusses an assessment of al-Qaeda’s capabilities of weapons of mass destruction.
Abstract
The strongest evidence to date of the terrorist organization’s interest in unconventional warfare has been the handwritten manual of capabilities from high explosive manufacture to the atomic physics of nuclear weapons. This “superbomb” volume indicates an acquaintance with nuclear physics and weapons exceeding information available via open sources. The identification and investigation of alleged training sites have indicated that weapons testing has been carried out on small mammals. A videotape showing a dog being killed by an airborne agent has also been viewed. The agent seemed to have been introduced in the form of visible smoke emanating from a receptacle close to the animal. It seems likely that the dog was killed by a chemical poison such as cyanide rather than an experimental chemical agent or biological weapon. Cyanide is one of the least sophisticated chemical agents. There remains a large-scale ignorance with regard to weapons of mass destruction in both the United States and Europe. Biological weapons are more expensive than chemical weapons. Nuclear weapons are significantly more expensive than biological weapons. The level of know-how and specialized facilities needed to produce such weapons is very high. Biochemical weapons need to be weaponized and are only effective if one overcomes the hurdle of dissemination. A sophisticated dissemination technology must be employed based on molecular physics and environmental analysis to guarantee the agent is not adversely affected by gravity, ultraviolet radiation, wind, and rain. The imagination of the terrorist cell seems to be a greater threat than any capability of weapons of mass destruction at this time.