Nuclear Threat within US Possible (My Title)

FoxNews | October 30, 2001

[PrivacyChampion]

FOX NEWS just reporting that there is a potential risk of a nuclear terrorist attack against the US, maybe within the Continental borders with a 'dirty nuke' that has been smuggled across the Mexican border.

This is the threat that AG Ashcroft warned about yesterday.

[PrivacyChampion]

If this is so, spare no weapon against the Muslim hordes.

[newsperson999]

yikes! I wonder what tipped them off..
A GOOD NEWS SOURCE..CLICK

[kassie]

Just the word "nuke" scares me, but what is a "dirty nuke"?

[arete]

If they had it, they would already have used it. They aren't just going to sit on it and risk being discovered and caught.

Richard W.

[LarryLied]

One could read the seriousness in Ashcroft's face. Gephardt had the same sick look shortly after the first attacks. When politicians drop their PR facade, you know we're in trouble.

[PrivacyChampion]

Well, forgive me, OH HIGH-BROW ONE.

[financeprof]

A dirty nuke is a non-fissible device that spews radioactive material over a wide area. That is, unlike an A-bomb, there is no chain reaction explosion. Instead, a dirty nuke combines conventional explosive with radioactive material. When detonated the radioactive debris is spread over a wide area. It is unlikely to cause large numbers of deaths immediately, but could lead to radiation sickness and increased long term mortality, and would contaminate the affected area.

[Cyber Liberty]

A "dirty nuke" is a device designed for maximum radioactive fallout (at the expense of yield), as opposed to devices designed for maximum explosive yield/minimum fallout.

[firebrand]

What would it look like? How big, etc.?

[Prodigal Daughter]

Ping

[Oldeconomybuyer]

I hope Fox has REALLY good sources for this story...

[LeeMcCoy]

Here is an excellent thread that explains the types of nukes in great (and easily understood) terms:

Types of Nuclear Weapons

[Semper Paratus]

I recall that one of the Al-Queda video tapes last month warned that American's will feel the ground burn under their feet.
Anybody after the exact statement?

[Credo]

A "dirty nuke" sounds like a conventional blast set to spread nuclear material around. It is not designed to produce a fission or fusion reaction but to spew out poisonous radioactive material for contamination.

[MikeJ]

Believe it or not, iodine can offer significant protection against the hazards of nuclear fallout. You might find this interesting: http://www.who.int/environmental_information/Information_resources/documents/Iodine/guide.pdf

[PrivacyChampion]

They didn't give a descriptive, other than it apparently may be linked to a car theft in which the 'detonator' was stolen from a Mercedes-Benz and then smuggled through Mexico. I don't know where the vehicle was, maybe Russia. But, that's a guess.

[Cyber Liberty]

Suddenly I'm not very thrilled about living in a large city near Mexico that may be hosting a World Series game or two this weekend....

[freebilly]

This certainly ups the stakes. To pre-empt this as a possibility our administration might issue a statement that any use of nuclear weapons on Americans would put all cities in terrorist friendly states at risk of non-existence.

[Lazamataz]

Reiterating: Want to call off trip.