[boris]

"As for Sa'id's recent research, physicists who observed it or worked with him said he had been trying, since 2000, to develop an electromagnetic or particle gun — unrelated to nuclear weapons. Such an advanced gun would, for example, fire its load at incoming aircraft."

Firstly it is good that he is dead--no matter how it happened.

Secondly, any physicist knows that a particle beam weapon is useless in the atmosphere.

Thirdly, atomic bombs of a "primitive nature" do indeed rely on "gun-like" technology.

It is not beyond credibility that a rail gun could be employed to accelerate the two halves of a critical mass together.

--Boris