CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- June 16, 2008

Burnet's solution: The plan to poison S-E Asia
“World-famous microbiologist Sir Macfarlane Burnet, the Nobel prize winner revered as Australia's greatest medical research scientist, secretly urged the government to develop biological weapons for use against Indonesia and other "overpopulated" countries of South-East Asia. The revelation is contained in top-secret files declassified by the National Archives of Australia, despite resistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Sir Macfarlane recommended in a secret report in 1947 that biological and chemical weapons should be developed to target food crops and spread infectious diseases. His key advisory role on biological warfare was uncovered by Canberra historian Philip Dorling in the National Archives in 1998.” (Center for Research on Globalization; 16Jun08; Brendan
Nicholson)
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9347

BioNeutral Announces a Breakthrough in the Fight Against Bioterrorism
“BioNeutral announced today the results of tests utilizing its Ygiene(TM) formulation to kill anthrax spores on contact. This chemical technology is designed to be used by the military and first responders in conjunction with any suspected anthrax exposure. ‘The Ygiene(TM) formulation killed all anthrax spores exposed to the formulation in as little as 15 seconds,’said Dr. Philip Tierno, the Principal Investigator on the project.”
(Epicos; 13Jun08; Andy Kielbania)
http://www.epicos.com/epicos/portal/media-type/html/user/anon/page/default.psml/js_panename/News+Information+Article+View;jsessionid=DA7302656F9631691A76B785B67D400A.tomcat1?articleid=106393&showfull=false

Postman jailed for racist hate mail campaign
“Jefferson Azevedo, 45, also sent packages laced with white powder at the height of the US anthrax scare, and placed a hoax bomb on a bridge. […] Azevedo, of Portsmouth, targeted MPs, solicitors, media organisations, charities, schools, mosques and churches, as well as restaurants and car rental companies. Some of his packages contained caustic soda. One person was slightly burned after coming into contact with the chemical, while another suffered a skin rash and many people were left ‘extremely frightened,’ the court heard.” (Guardian; 13Jun08; Lee Glendinning) http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jun/13/ukcrime4?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

Survey: Most Indian scientists refuse to design biological weapons
“In a survey, some 64 percent Indian scientists said they will refuse to design biological weapons, while 54 percent said they will not work on nuclear weapons, due to their moral and religious beliefs, the Times of India reported Monday.” (People’s Daily; 16Jun08) http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6431134.html

Russia steps up destruction of chemical weapons
“Russia will open a new facility on Tuesday to continue destroying its formidable arsenal of chemical weapons, the world's biggest, as part of its drive to eliminate all such weapons by 2012. Located near Leonidovka in the central Penza region, around 550 km (350 miles) southeast of Moscow, it is the sixth of seven such facilities Russia plans to build.” (Reuters; 16Jun08; Dmitry Solovyov)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/gc07/idUKL1630372920080616

Ala. chemical weapons worker dies of heart attack [Birmingham, Alabama]
“A worker at an incinerator that destroys chemical weapons for the Army died of an apparent heart attack he suffered while working, a coroner said Thursday. […] ‘It has all the appearances that it's going to be a natural death, but it's still under investigation,’ the coroner [Calhoun County Coroner Pat Brown] said.” (Associated Press; 13Jun08; Jay Reeves)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hooSbjOJxs17gwfVGmjR3TnDgv0gD918QNNG3

Robert Attard lists the arms in use by Knights and Turks in the Great Siege of 1565 “Less conventional weapons were used and their employment reveals that the horrors of war do not exclusively belong to the 20th century. The pernicious head hunts, bombardments and the mutilations can be regarded as being an early form of psychological warfare. The poisoning of the wells can be considered as being an early form of chemical warfare. The Turks frequently made use of sulphur fumes in Siege operations.” (The Malta Independent; 16Jun08; Robert Attard)
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=70851

Chemicals at Water Plants Need More Protection from Terrorists, Experts Say
“Laws regulating the security of most factories and other businesses that possess a large amount of chemicals should also cover drinking water and wastewater treatment plants, some experts said at a House hearing Thursday. […] The two bills discussed Thursday, the Chemical Facilities Act of 2008 and the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2008, would extend and modify the 2006 act [Chemical Security Anti-terrorism Act of 2006].” (Kansas City Infozone; 13Jun08; Jackie Best) http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/28874/

Scientists scan boats for modern danger -- radiation
“An unusual kind of radiation spike could indicate someone was smuggling radioactive material into Seattle. It could be the last, best chance to foil a terrorist plot of unimaginable consequences. […] Gamma and neutron radiation detection equipment were loaded along with a GPS tracking unit on to the Richland lab's research vessel, dubbed ‘Strait Science,’ all connected to laptop computers displaying the readings. Rock and concrete naturally emit gamma radiation so whenever the boat got closer to shore, the green dots representing gamma counts would climb skyward.” (Seattle PI; 13Jun08; Tom Paulson) http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/367009_boatradiation14.html

Pak[istan] has already signed up for N[uclear]-terror group
“India has decided to join a group led by the US and Russia to combat the menace of nuclear terrorism. Born out of a George Bush-Vladimir Putin agreement in July 2006 to fight nuclear terrorism, the group now has 70-odd members. Ironically, while India believes the threat of nuclear terrorism emanates from Pakistan and its lethal mix of proliferation and jihad, it has been laggard in signing up to such a group. Pakistan signed up some time ago.” (The Times of India; 17Jun08) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Pak_has_already_signed_up_for_N-terror_group/articleshow/3135142.cms

Nunn shares a variety of views from Iraq to nuclear detonation
“Nuclear threats remain, but the Soviet Union's fall and the end of the two-superpower era means that the most pervasive danger now is probably from terrorists scrambling for access to ‘crude weapons,’ [Senator Sam] Nunn said. ‘Terrorist groups with no return address cannot really be deterred because many of them don't care,’ Nunn said in a trans-Atlantic telephone interview with The Telegraph. Nunn, a native of Perry, was in Germany to accept the Hessian Peace Prize.” (The Telegraph; 13Jun08; Travis Fain) http://www.macon.com/206/story/377513.html

Detection instrument to sniff out airborne terrorist threats
“Security and law enforcement officials may some day have a new ally – a universal detection system that can monitor the air for virtually all of the major threat agents that could be used by terrorists. This type of system is under development by a team of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and engineers, and has already been tested in laboratory and field experiments. In its latest advance, the team has conceptually shown that it can almost simultaneously detect four potential threat materials – biological, chemical, explosives and radiological – along with illicit drugs.” (Domain B; 14Jun08) http://www.domain-b.com/technology/20080614_instrument.html

House subcommittee holds hearing on Project 112 bill
“On Thursday, a House subcommittee held a hearing on Congressman Mike Thompson's bill to help veterans who were unknowingly tested with chemical and biological weapons in the 1960s and 70s. […] Project 112, which included ship-based Project SHAD, was conducted between 1963 and 1973 by the Department of Defense (DoD) and other federal agencies. The DoD now admits that during these projects, unknowing military personnel were involved [in] a number of chemical weapon tests such as VX nerve gas and Sarin nerve gas and were exposed to biological weapons such as E. Coli, Rabbit Fever and Q fever.” (Lake County News; 13Jun08) http://lakeconews.com/content/view/4539/764/

Police force blows £100,000 on failed search to find a helmet to cover Sikh officer's turban
“The man, thought to be in his mid-20s, was refused a place because he was unable to fit the necessary helmet and respirator over his turban and beard, both of which are requirements for strict adherents to his faith. […] ‘No Sikh officer has applied and been turned down from joining the Operational Support Unit because of faith issues. However, it has been identified that for some members of the Sikh faith, the removal of the turban to wear a helmet and the wearing of a respirator could be problematic. As an employer committed to equality and diversity, we are working to try and find a solution to what is a national issue. This worthwhile work continues.’” (This is London; 16Jun08) http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23495247-details/Taxpayers+face+100,000+bill+after+police+force+fails+to+find+Sikh-friendly+helmet/article.do

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.