CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- June 4, 2008

Military hosts training exercise today in Juneau [Wisconsin]
“A clandestine operation for manufacture of weapons of mass destruction in Juneau? That’s the impression some Dodge County residents may have while watching the Wisconsin National Guard and the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office storm the vacant high school on the south side of Juneau this morning during a training exercise. ‘The unit being evaluated is the 54th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (WMD CST),’ said Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls, who also holds the rank of colonel in the Wisconsin National Guard. ‘This is a highly specialized 22-person unit that is available to first responders to handle nuclear, chemical and biological hazards that are outside the capabilities of the local communities. The vehicles and equipment are very impressive.’” (FDL Reporter; 03June08)
http://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080603/FON0101/80603088/1985

UB [University of Buffalo, New York] art professor Kurtz plans exhibit on terror raid at his home
“After beating federal prosecutors and agents in the courtroom, Buffalo art professor Steven J. Kurtz is about to take them to task in an art exhibit. An exhibit focusing on a 2004 raid by an anti-terrorism task force on Kurtz’s home will debut Saturday in the Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, 341 Delaware Ave. […] Kurtz, 49, is an artist and University at Buffalo professor who was indicted on mail fraud and wire fraud charges after the Western New York Joint Terrorism Task Force accused him of illegally obtaining bacteria. The bacteria were found in a laboratory in Kurtz’s Allentown home after police were called to investigate the death of Kurtz’s wife, Hope, in May 2004.” (The Buffalo News; 03June08; Dan Herbeck)
http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/story/361272.html

HHS [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services] announces preparedness grants for public health, hospitals
“The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced that it is allocating states and major metropolitan areas $1.1 billion to strengthen public health preparedness and help healthcare facilities respond to emergency events such as an influenza pandemic or terrorist attack. […] HHS earmarked $1.1 billion for two related cooperative agreement programs: Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP), administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), managed by the HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR).” (CIDRAP; 03June08; Lisa Schnirring)
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/panflu/news/jun0308funding-jw.html

Police Raid Ishihara Sangyo Over Toxic Gas Production [Tsu, Mie Prefecture]
“Police on Monday raided Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha Ltd. on suspicion that the Japanese chemical maker violated a law banning chemical weapons by making a toxic gas without taking legally required steps. In response to a criminal complaint filed Friday by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Mie Prefecture's police searched the firm's Yokkaichi plant in the western Japan prefecture and head office in the western Japan city of Osaka. The Yokkaichi plant produced 170 tons of phosgene, a toxic gas which can be used to make chemical weapons, between February 2005 and October 2006 without making necessary reports to the authorities.” (Red Orbit; 02June08; Jiji Press English News Service) http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1413361/police_raid_ishihara_sangyo_over_toxic_gas_production/

Russia Destroys 10,500 Tonnes of Chemical Weapons
“During the third stage of the chemical weapons destruction programme, Russia has destroyed 10,500 tonnes of toxic substances, the head of the federal directorate for safe storage and destruction of chemical weapons, Valeriy Kapashin, has told journalists on Tuesday [3 June]. ‘As of now, we have destroyed 10,500 tonnes of toxic substances,’ he said. By the end of2009 Russia should recycle and destroy 18,000 tonnes of toxic substances, or more than 40 per cent of its stock of chemical weapons.” (Red Orbit; 04June08; Interfax-AVN) http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1416012/russia_destroys_10500_tonnes_of_chemical_weapons/

Wildlife refuge at [Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colorado] to reopen to public June 14
“A wildlife refuge at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal will reopen to the public on June 14 after a cleanup at a spot where a chemical weapon was detected last year. Health and environment officials said Monday that excavation work has been completed and groundwater monitoring wells have been installed in a restricted part of the arsenal once used to dispose of chemical agents. That area will remain closed to the public. The Army started manufacturing chemical weapons in 1942 at the 27-square-mile arsenal 11 miles northeast of downtown Denver.” (Examiner; 02June08) http://www.examiner.com/a-1420793~Wildlife_refuge_at_arsenal_to_reopen_to_public_June_14.html

Army: US chemical weapons incineration on track in [Anniston, Alabama]
“The Army says it's about halfway done destroying tons of deadly chemical weapons in east Alabama. And so far, so good. A huge incinerator at the Anniston Army Depot is nearly half finished burning nerve agents that have been stored in dirt-covered bunkers since the Cold War. And incinerator officials say the most dangerous agents were destroyed first and most of the risk to the community has been eliminated.” (WRCB TV; 04June08; Associated Press)
http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8429402

Some [Air Force chemical] mobility bag gear expired, missing
“The next time someone hands you a deployment mobility bag filled with chemical warfare protection gear, check the expiration dates. The Air Force Audit Agency found that more than half the mobility bags opened by an inspection team were not correctly stocked. The same investigation found that many bags were missing items such as gas mask canisters and chemical protection suits or had gear stored beyond expiration dates.”
(Air Force Times; 04June08; Bruce Rolfsen) http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/06/airforce_mobility_bags_060308w/

Ahura Scientific's FirstDefender Now Available Through 2008 CEDAP
“Ahura Scientific, Inc., a leader in rugged, ultra-compact handheld instruments for chemical identification, announced today that it has been selected for the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Commercial Equipment Direct Assistant Program (CEDAP) for the second year in a row. Designed to complement other DHS grant programs, CEDAP enables acquisition of critical terrorism response equipment by smaller jurisdictions nationwide.” (Ahura Scientific; 02June08)
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=863306

Pool [University of Leeds] professor honoured for work on chemical weapons ban
“A peace protesting [sic] professor from Pool-in-Wharfedale has been honoured for helping to achieve an international ban on chemical weapons. Professor Alastair Hay, whose political activity stretches back to demonstrating against the Vietnam War, has been campaigning for the end of the use of chemical agents in weapons for 17 years.” (Wharfedale & Airedale Observer; 03June08; Jim Jack) http://www.wharfedaleobserver.co.uk/news/newsroundup/display.var.2316535.0.pool_professor_honoured_for_work_on_chemical_weapons_ban.php

Pentagon charges [Binyam Mohamed] 'dirty bomb' conspirator
“Pentagon prosecutors have charged an Ethiopian-born prisoner with conspiring to commit terrorist attacks in the United States, including planning to use a radioactive ‘dirty bomb,’ according to documents released on Tuesday. The charges against Guantanamo prisoner Binyam Mohamed, who had been a legal resident of Britain since 1994, were filed last week and made public on Tuesday.” (Reuters; 03June08; Paul Eckert)
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN03387564

U.S. Official Says World Needs Tools to Fight Spread of Weapons
“The Bush administration is committed to upholding arms-control treaties while also pursuing counterproliferation tools to prevent the illicit spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Acting Under Secretary of State John Rood said this administration signed the 2002 Moscow Treaty to further reduce U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear weapons and proposed a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty in the Conference on Disarmament in 2006. But it also sees great value, he said, in finding ways for compatible countries to deter proliferation by other means.” (News Blaze; 04June08; Jacquelyn S. Porth) http://newsblaze.com/story/20080604075639tsop.nb/newsblaze/WORLDNEW/World-News.html

CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.