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Tritium based nukes would need fuel replenishment, but that really isn't any more difficult than replenishing the coolant in your refrigerator or air conditioner - if you have the tritium.

Tritium isn't all that hard to get, either. It has many commercial uses and is commonly available.

As far as the electronics on the bomb go, there isn't much to it if all you care about is the bang. Easy to repair or replace.

But I don't think the terrorists are going to waste time with nuclear hand grenades. If they had 'em they would have used 'em.

The only reason for holding off from using the nukes would be for a more spectacular attack, and that makes suitcase nukes a waste of time when there is a much bigger bang for the buck available.

I still think somebody wanted it to be hard to keep nukes in working order and made a statement to that effect, wanting and wishing it to be so. And other people who also wanted it to be true bought into it and kept passing it around until it achieved the status of urban legend. And that is what I think it is - an urban legend. I'd really like it if someone could convince me otherwise, but it hasn't happened yet.