NCJ Number
178794
Journal
Studies in Conflict & Terrorism Volume: 22 Issue: 1 Dated: January-March 1999 Pages: 79-91
Date Published
March 1999
Length
13 pages
Annotation
In March 1995, the Japanese doomsday cult, Aum Shinrikyo, conducted a well-timed and coordinated nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, representing the first use of such a weapon by a non-state group.
Abstract
The Aum Shinrikyo case highlights the issues of controlling materials and know-how, intelligence cooperation, and law enforcement. While the manufacture of chemical and biological agents is not beyond the capabilities of non-state groups, one of the primary problems associated with the use of these agents is their dispersal. Even if effective dispersal can be achieved, chemical and biological agents are vulnerable to relative humidity, sunlight, temperature, smog, and wind conditions. These problems are minimized if the agents are used in a closed environment such as a subway system or if they are introduced into the ventilation system of a large building. As part of discussing terrorist use of weapons of mass destruction, the author reviews three books that provide differing perspectives on the nerve gas attack by Aum Shinrikyo in the Tokyo subway system. 44 notes