Another interesting twist in the book, is that the nuclear material was “missing mass” from U.S. separation facilities. After the dud nuclear blast at the Super Bowl, analysis of the isotope ratios clearly identified the material as coming from specific U.S. facilities. In the book, the material was siphoned off by Israeli agents in the U.S., diverted to the Israeli bomb program. During the chaos of the Yom Kipper War, an Israeli quick reaction fighter plane armed with a nuclear weapon is taken by a substitute pilot when its pilot and ground crew are killed. The new crew know nothing about the nuclear payload, and are desperate to provide support to the Army, and take the next available aircraft. The inexperience pilot is shot down over Syria before he releases his weapon (and would have been ignorant of the arming sequence). Muslim terrorists, months later, recover the bomb, which finds its way to Denver.
I have not seen the movie, but apparently there were some plot changes.
I’ll read the book. Thanks for your input.