Ed.Note: Captain René Pita is a professor at the Spanish Military NBC Defense School and a toxicologist with the Joint Assessment Team (JAT) - NATO Multinational CBRN Defense Battalion (NRF-5).
Al-Qa`ida and the Chemical Threat
René Pita, Ph.D.
After the 11 September 2001 (9/11) terrorist attacks in the US there has been a perception that the risk of possible attacks with chemical or biological weapons, especially by groups associated with the al-Qa`ida terrorist network, is high. Surprisingly, the risk perception was higher than after the 1994 and 1995 sarin attacks in Japan, when a chemical warfare agent caused a large number of casualties. However, the mailing of letters containing anthrax spores, accompanied by images of the attacks on the World Trade Center towers, have increased the concern about chemical and biological attacks. This paper aims to analyze information from open sources about the possible use of chemical weapons by groups affiliated with or linked to the al-Qa`ida terrorist network.
Full Article
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UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel: Biological Weapons Related Issues
by Graham S. Pearson
The Report of the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change was issued as A/59/565 on 2 December 2004. In his covering note the Secretary-General said that he wholly endorsed the core arguments of the High Level Panel for “a broader, more comprehensive concept of collective security: one that tackles new and old threats and addresses the security concerns of all States — rich and poor, weak and strong.”[Emphasis in original] The Secretary-General also urged that “we should move forward quickly and take action on recommendations wherever we can.”
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ASA is pleased to provide the following CBMTS-Ind IV abstracts:
The CBMTS-Industry IV
“Third World Congress on Chemical, Biological and
Radiological Terrorism”
Dubrovnik, Croatia, 17-23 September 2005
Selected Abstracts:
• Pretreatment and Medical Therapy of Nerve-agent Intoxication
Pål Aas and Trond Myhrer
Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, Protection Division,
PO Box 25, NO-2027 Kjeller, Norway
• Antibiotic Resistance and Anthrax
Robert M. DeBell
The Titan Corporation,
11955 Freedom Drive, Reston Virginia 20190, U.S.A.
• Modeling of Biological Weapon Agents
Dispersion in a Bioterrorism Incident
Vladimir P. Resheti
Joint Institute for Power and Nuclear Research of Belarus,
Sosny-Minsk, 220109, Belarus
• Natural Toxins — Review, Recent Developments and Risks
P. Gopalakrishnakone
Venom and Toxin Research Programme,
Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore
Full Article |
an inside look at ASA 05-3
| The Professional Library |
2 |
| CBMTS-Industry IV |
3 |
| CBMTS VI |
7 |
| International Symposium NBC Terrorism |
10 |
NIAID Awards $27 million: New Bioshield |
12 |
| News notes on Plague, Anthrax and Influenza |
14 |
| ON THE STREET |
15 |
| Battelle Italia Established in Rome |
16 |
| Battelle 75 |
17 |
| Taiwan’s Medical Establishment |
23 |
| Inattention to detail and an old weapon bites |
28 |
| GAO Reports |
29 |
| Industry Notes |
29 |
| Recent Contracts |
29 |
| BioScope‘05 |
32 |
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