Posted on 10/19/2001 7:13:42 AM PDT by spycatcher
Israelis Capture Man With Radiological Backpack Bomb 10-19-1
ISRAEL - Israeli security last month arrested a man linked to suspected terrorist coordinator, Osama bin Laden, armed with a radiological backpack bomb.
The man was arrested in the last week of September as he attempted to enter Israel from the Palestinian Territories at a border crossing point at Ramallah, according to U.S. government officials.
"There was only one individual involved. He was from Pakistan," a government official said.
An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined to give the exact date of arrest. Two other sources interviewed by United Press International confirmed the incident, but also declined to give further details.
"People know how to walk a dog back," one said, meaning that relating too exact an account could lead to the identification of the source of the information.
Another source said U.S. officials believed that the suspect had probably reached the territories by way of Lebanon.
Information on the arrest went immediately to President Bush and a close circle of advisers, another U.S. official said. He described the appearance and character of the top-secret report circulated among the Cabinet members and signed by each official present.
Former Pentagon terrorism expert Peter Probst described a radiological bomb as a device with a small explosive core that is encased in radioactive material. "It would not kill a great many people, but it would contaminate a considerable area with radiation," he said.
A U.S. government expert said that the weapon captured by Israel was a backpack device that CIA officials learned about through Russian intelligence agents in place in 1995. He emphasized it was not a so-called nuclear suitcase bomb.
Backpack bombs were designed for Russian Spetznaz special forces and have such an intricate and complex system of activation that the ability of a terrorist to detonate one would be incredibly limited, according to one U.S. government official.
"There is such a complicated sequence you have to perform that some terrorist isn't going to be able to get it to work. You have to be very highly trained," an intelligence official agreed, describing the chances that the device could have been activated as "practically miniscule."
Probst is nevertheless convinced that radiological bombs are still a danger for New York City. "Bin Laden is fascinated by Wall Street. My fear is that he will attempt to smuggle in some "dirty" bomb that wouldn't kill many people but would dangerously contaminate the area," he said.
Radioactive gasses disburse too fast to really be effective, and have to be contained in a pressure container (heavy, big, shield the gasses from teh explosion!, and don't have enough "material" (atoms) decaying fast enough to matter.) (Other than simple fright weapons.)
rescue and nearby areas are affected when the radioactive powder spreads around and contaminates people, things, buildings...
Terror weapon ONLY .... It isn't enough radiation to do any real damage or harm. (More than 25 Rem is needed to even make most people "sick" - and 250 - 400 REM is needed to ensure death of HALF those exposed.) Spreading powder won't kill people.
A simple face mask (dust filter) is enough to prevent breathing in the dust. The rest can readily washed off.
Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD): combination of conventional explosives or other dispersal agent to scatter radioactive debris (e.g. spent fuel rods). Depending on concentration, radiation damage might take weeks if not months or years to produce large numbers of fatalities. According to one estimate (Krieger, 1977), the release of 4.4 pounds of plutonium oxide in powder form in a population centre could produce a 100 per cent probability of bone and lung cancer for every person within a distance of 1,800 feet downwind of the release point and 1 per cent risk as far as 40 miles downwind. Amount and type of radioactive material used also determine damage and fatality. The effect appears to be mainly psychological, making it a potentially useful terrorist tool rather than a militarily useful weapon. However, the radiation overdose hazard for those constructing and delivering the weapon seem to weigh against its use, except in symbolic quantities as in the November 1995 incident in Moscow.([my emphasis] that's from the link I put up above)
Doesn't sound like something that can destroy a city, but it sounds bad -- worse than these silly anthrax letters...
Mark W.
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