Page 34 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

A-Kushner.qxd 29-10-02 3:18 PM Page 7

Agricultural Terrorism———7

men—a mix of veterans of the Soviet-Afghan war October 18, 2000. http://www.merip.org/pins/pin35.
and Islamists from various countries. In May 1998, html, June 12, 2002.
it issued the first of a series of political and religious Gunaratna, Rohan. Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of
statements on Yemeni and world affairs. In December Terror. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002.
1998, Aden-Abyan kidnapped a party of 16 Western
tourists in southern Yemen, 4 of whom later died dur-
ing a botched rescue by Yemeni security forces. The Afghan Freedom Fighters.
leader of the group, Abu al-Hassan al-Mihdar, was See MUJAHIDEEN.
executed for his role in the kidnappings.
Numerous connections have been drawn between
Aden-Abyan and the Al Qaeda network. After the
1998 attack on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and AGRICULTURAL TERRORISM
Tanzania, Aden-Abyan claimed it was a “heroic
operation carried out by heroes of the jihad.” Later,
following an American raid on Osama bin Laden’s Possible terrorist attacks on the agricultures of the
camp in Afghanistan, Aden-Abyan announced its world’s advanced economies receive less attention
support for him and asked Yemeni people to kill than the possibility of attacks that kill immediately.
Americans and destroy their property. It is also Damaged crops and sickened herds will never get as
believed that Aden-Abyan ran a training camp in a much attention or instill as much fear as an attack on
remote part of southern Yemen; when the govern- a major population center. Yet the agricultural sector
ment tried to close it, a bin Laden representative of advanced economies is very vulnerable. Attacks
attempted to intervene. could cause severe food shortages and would cer-
In October 2000, two suicide bombers aligned with tainly result in severe trade and economic disruption.
Aden-Abyan exploded their boat alongside the U.S.S. While there is no evidence that the outbreak of foot-
Cole, in port in Aden. Most experts agree that the and-mouth disease (FMD) in Great Britain in 2001
attack was the combined work of Aden-Abyan and Al was the result of terrorist activity, the economic and
Qaeda. One day after the Cole incident, a bomb was psychological impact of the epidemic raised the
lobbed into the British Embassy, shattering windows specter of terrorist attacks against agricultural econo-
at both the embassy and nearby buildings. Four mies and fears that the food supplies of nations might
members of Aden-Abyan were later sentenced for the be vulnerable.
embassy bombing. There have been at least a few historical examples
While the Yemeni government claims to have of military attacks against crops and animals, and we
wiped out Aden-Abyan, it is likely that it still exists as know that both the former Soviet Union and the United
a loose, less organized band of Yemenis and non- States conducted research and development on
Yemenis. In general, though, foreign involvement in pathogens for use against crops and animals. Few
jihad activity in Yemen has been decreasing as a result doubt that determined terrorists could obtain small
of more stringent security forces. In the month after quantities of plant and animal pathogens; what is less
the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, certain is whether terrorists could succeed in spreading
President Bush included Aden-Abyan on the frozen- the pathogens widely enough to infect large crop areas
assets list, a measure that could push Aden-Abyan or large numbers of animals. An outbreak of an animal
into further inactivity. disease such as FMD or crop blight such as wheat smut
would elicit an immediate reaction, which would
Further Reading include both treatment and quarantine. Environmental
factors, such as natural resistance of plants to disease
“Aden Islamic Army Threatens the American and British and weather conditions at the time of the initial attack,
Ambassadors If They Do Not Leave Yemen.” Middle
East and Islamic Studies Collection, March 12, 1999. might limit the effectiveness of even a well-planned
http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/feat9en. attack. On the other hand, diseases such as FMD are
htm, June 12, 2002. highly infectious and even a small attack could demor-
Carapico, Sheila. “Yemen and the Aden-Abyan Islamic alize a population and lead to disruptions in complex
Army.” Middle East Research and Information Report, economies.