Page 102 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

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76———Biological Terrorism

fear among the population of one of the world’s largest with the bacteria. It can be treated effectively with
cities. Since terrorists may achieve their goals by fright- antibiotics if the infection is caught early enough. By
ening people just as effectively as by killing them, the contrast, the smallpox or variola virus causes one of
Tokyo attack was partially successful. Later, investi- the most dreaded diseases on the planet. It is highly
gators learned that the Aum cult had even attempted to infectious and spreads rapidly through unvaccinated
obtain the deadly Ebola virus from a site in Africa populations. Since viral diseases cannot be treated
where an outbreak had occurred. with antibiotics, smallpox kills about 30 percent of
The use of a pathogen against unsuspecting citi- those infected, leaving the survivors with disfiguring
zens by the Raj Cult in a small Oregon town in 1985 scars.
provides an example of a more successful bioterrorist Smallpox was essentially eliminated among popu-
attack. The cult wanted its candidates to win a county lations in the early 1980s and only remained in small,
election so that it could oust an incumbent town lead- closely controlled stocks in two laboratories in the
ership opposing the cult’s plans to expand its facili- United States and Russia for use in vaccine research.
ties. Cult leaders thought that if they could sicken When smallpox was eradicated as a public health
enough of the population just prior to the election, the threat in the early 1980s, nations stopped vaccinating
resulting light turnout would enable their candidates their citizens. That made sense from a public health
to win, giving them control of the county government. standpoint, but while the United States and Russia
Cult members with, at best, modest scientific train- were designated as the only official repositories, Iraq
ing proceeded to use a small, makeshift laboratory to and several other nations are suspected of possessing
grow salmonella bacteria. Once they had an ample clandestine stockpiles of smallpox virus that might
supply, cult members spread the bacteria in salad bars be used for biological warfare. Since smallpox might
at local restaurants. The plan worked to the extent that also infect the side that uses it first, many experts con-
it sickened 750 persons, but it did not reduce voter sidered it unlikely that it would ever be used on a large
turnout enough to let the cult win control of the scale.
county government. When public health authorities The September 2001 attacks on the United States
investigated the disease outbreak, their first conclu- and subsequent anthrax mailings changed that percep-
sion was that it was caused by inadequate sanitary tion. Terrorists willing to commit suicide with
measures in the restaurants. It was only much later hijacked aircraft might not shrink from using small-
that the real cause came to light. pox or other highly infectious agents if they could
One of the main lessons learned in the Oregon somehow obtain them to produce fear and panic. The
attack was that the pathogen was easy to grow and dis- United States immediately announced a plan to create
tribute, at least on a relatively small scale. Its produc- 200 million doses of smallpox vaccine to have avail-
tion did not require a large laboratory, sophisticated able in case of an attack. Russia and the United States
equipment, or persons with advanced scientific train- took steps to heighten the security around the two lab-
ing. Almost anyone with rudimentary knowledge of oratories possessing the last official stocks of small-
bacterial growth who could obtain a starter culture pox virus for research. Even so, experts differ in their
would be well on the way to the possession of a small assessment of the ability of terrorists to make effective
but deadly stockpile. This knowledge is widely dis- use of viral diseases such as smallpox, Ebola, or other
tributed, as evidenced by the popularity of home- deadly pathogens.
brewed beers and wines. A second important lesson Terrorists choosing to use a noninfectious bacte-
was that it can be difficult to recognize a disease rial agent such as anthrax would have to spread the
outbreak as the work of terrorists. material directly over a large area to cause many
casualties. When the United States and Soviet
Union developed biological warfare capabilities
ASSESSING POSSIBLE
TERRORIST USE OF VIRAL DISEASES during the Cold War, they had access to aircraft fit-
ted with spray tanks, artillery shells, and missiles
After the anthrax mail attacks in the United States, that could carry hundreds of small “bomblets” filled
fears were immediately raised about the prospect with pathogens. Terrorists would find it difficult to
that terrorists could obtain more highly infectious obtain those delivery systems. It was probably for
pathogens. Anthrax is not communicable between that reason that the September 2001 hijackers were
humans and can be spread only by direct contact exploring the capabilities of agricultural crop dusters;