In [2001] anthrax probe, focus on [Steven J.] Hatfill relied on informants
“Authorities probing the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks fixed on now-cleared scientist Steven J. Hatfill primarily because confidential informants said they had talked with him about his purported involvement in Rhodesian bioweapons initiatives, according to court documents released yesterday. […] Mark A. Grannis, an attorney for Hatfill, [said] ‘[…] the affidavits released today cite sources whose names are unknown and whose credibility cannot be tested. Our repeated experience has been that people make wild accusations in secret, only to retract them under public questioning […].’ […] The main sworn statement, by FBI Special Agent Mark Morin, cites a tip from a confidential informant about Hatfill's alleged activities in Rhodesia in the late 1970s.” (Washington Post; 25Nov08; Carrie Johnson and Del Quentin Wilber) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/11/25/AR2008112502784.html?hpid=moreheadlines
First responders: flu shots administered [CA]
“Hundreds of San Luis Obispo County [CA] employees received a shot in the arm last Thursday as part of a mass vaccination drill […]. […]Vaccines were administered for three consecutive hours in the morning and for another three hours in the afternoon. […] Health emergencies that could require a mass vaccination of the public involve situations where a large number of people have been exposed to a disease or toxic agent — anthrax, smallpox, influenza or the plague — that could make them sick, according to Health Agency officials.” (Times Press Recorder; 26Nov08; TPR Staff) http://www.timespressrecorder.com/articles/2008/11/26/news/slocounty/news10.txt
Zimbabwe: anthrax hits the south
“Matabeleland North provincial medical director, Dr Gibson Mhlanga, confirmed the deaths of two people from anthrax, but a report in the official The Chronicle newspaper said six had died and over 200 cattle had been wiped out in the province's Dongamuzi area […]. The government dispatched its disaster management Civil Protection Unit (CPU) to Lupane last week to work with the Veterinary Services Department to vaccinate affected cattle in a bid to contain the disease. Anthrax will further strain Zimbabwe's crumbling health delivery system, which has failed to contain a cholera outbreak […]. Medical officials in Lupane said the people who had succumbed to anthrax over the past week had eaten meat from infected cattle; several other villagers in the district have been hospitalised.” (Speroforum; 25Nov08; Source: IRIN)
http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=16855
Toxin suspect [Edward Bachner]’s lawyer explains household items [IL]
“Needles and syringes found in the home of a Lake in the Hills man accused of illegally having a lethal toxin were being used for his wife’s fourth round of in vitro fertilization, his lawyer says. Defense attorney James Marcus filed another motion Tuesday to have his client, Edward F. Bachner IV, freed on bond while awaiting trail after being denied Nov. 3. Court documents offer the defense’s explanation for a number of things that prosecutors used against Bachner to keep him in jail. For example, in addition to the ‘multiple needles and syringes’prosecutors said were uncovered when the FBI raided Bachner’s home June 30, they also found a manual that deals with the effective doses for poisoning people. Marcus said the book is a tool for authors of crime novels so that they accurately portray the actions of their characters.” (Northwest Herald; 26Nov08; Sarah Sutschek) http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2008/11/26/news/local/doc492d2e79c6ad0116207309.txt
Argentina: curious toxins discovered
“Argentine police arrested Mario Roberto Segovia, allegedly the largest supplier of ephedrine to Mexican drug cartels, and raided his home in Rosario, Argentina, on Nov. 24. Segovia is suspected of having sent more than 18,000 pounds of ephedrine to Mexico since September 2006, Argentine newspaper La Nacion reported. […] More important, Segovia was found to be in possession of 500 grams each of ricinine and aconitine. These substances are known toxins — ricinine is derived from the castor bean, as is the toxin ricin — and are lethal to humans in doses of just a few grams. Argentine police also suggested that Segovia may have connections to terrorist organizations.” (Stratfor; 26Nov08; Source: La Nacion) http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20081125_argentina_curious_toxins_discovered
The legacy of chemical warfare [Iran/Iraq War]
“Set in a carefully tended park in the centre of the capital [Tehran], the new [war] museum — inspired by existing ones in Hiroshima and Ypres — will also serve as a centre for surviving victims of the war, especially for the thousands of Iranians who were injured in chemical warfare attacks unleashed by Saddam Hussein's forces. […] 60,000 Iranians [were] injured in chemical warfare attacks in what the Islamic Republic still calls the ‘imposed war’ or the ‘sacred defence.’ It was the first time since the First World War that mustard gas was used and the first time ever that nerve agents such as Sarin and Tabun were employed. Iran complained bitterly that the raw materials were supplied to Iraq by western companies while the US and other governments ‘tilted’ towards Saddam and looked the other way […].” (The Guardian; 26Nov08; Ian Black) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/26/iran-iraq-war
History Channel films [chemical weapons site] at Glenbrook [Australia]
“Although the connection might at first seem incongruous, the [Glenbrook] tunnel’s recently revealed history as a storage site for chemical weapons during World War II made it an ideal subject for the History Channel series, Cities of the Underworld. Presenter Don Wildman filmed segments for the episode earlier this month, […] interviewing two former RAAF [Royal Australian Air Force] armourers at the old railway tunnel. Now used as a mushroom farm, the tunnel housed enough mustard gas to wipe out the population of Sydney during World War II.” (Blue Mountains Gazette; 26Nov08; Damien Madigan) http://bluemountains.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/history-channel-films-at-glenbrook/1370458.aspx
Senegal hosts meet[ing] on risks of chemical attacks
“A meeting […] for the French-speaking countries in Africa [to] increase [the] capacity of African countries [to] face […] chemical attacks or accidents will be held from 27 to 28 November in Dakar […]. The meeting, which will be attended by eight French-speaking countries in Africa, including hosts Senegal, is being organised by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in partnership with the National Commission against nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, OPCW said.” (African Press Agency, 26Nov08)
http://www.apanews.net/apa.php?page=show_article_eng&id_article=81509
On the trail with the nuke hunters [DC]
“President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office in 57 days. And security, of course, will be extremely tight. […] From the skies over Washington, a super-secret government team is training for the ultimate terrorist threat. […] CBS News rode along for an exclusive look at a drill aimed at finding stolen radioactive cesium - a potential ingredient for a dirty bomb. […] A spike on a radiation monitor signals the chopper is zeroing in on the radioactive source. […] But, in big cities like Washington, where millions of people will gather for January's presidential inauguration, nukes and dirty explosives laced with radiation could be difficult to detect. […] So far, the team has made radiation maps of the nation's top-two terror targets: Washington and New York. Chicago is next.” (CBS11TV; 24Nov08; Bob Orr) http://cbs11tv.com/national/radiation.security.inauguration.2.873256.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.
Showing posts with label first world war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label first world war. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- May 16, 2008
Partnership helps Navajo prepare for emergencies
“It’s difficult to prepare for a disaster when you’ve been taught that you’re not even supposed to talk about such an eventuality. But the Navajo Nation Department of Emergency Management and Work Force Development are teaming together to hire members of the community and train them to deal — on a community level — with potential disaster situations such as this past winter’s snow and mud emergencies. […] ‘We’re trying to move the Navajo Nation in a direction where they can be able to manage their own situations,’ from hazardous materials accident to bioterrorism, Jimson Joe, executive director of Emergency Management, said Wednesday.” (The Gallup Independent; Kathy Helms; 16May08) http://www.gallupindependent.com/2008/May/051508emergencies.html
Bioterror defenses in lobbying crunch
“The government’s program to defend the country against bioterrorism attacks has become embroiled in a lobbying war, as rival biotechnology companies seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts turn to influential K Street hired guns. The Bush administration’s $5.6 billion Project BioShield has come under heavy criticism in the wake of contracting problems that led to delays in the purchase of vaccines designed to protect against biological weapons.” (Politico; 15May08; Samuel Loewenberg) http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10351.html
CDC biolab not ready after 2 1/2 years [Atlanta, Georgia]
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new maximum-security laboratories in Atlanta were supposed to open in the fall of 2005. But the suite of Biosafety Level 4 labs — designed to contain the world's most dangerous germs — still haven't been certified as ready to operate. The $214 million building they're in was completed 2 1/2 years ago. CDC officials say nothing is amiss. But the delays have raised concerns about potential construction or design flaws in labs destined to handle smallpox and Ebola viruses.”
(The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; 15May08; Alison Young)
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/stories/2008/05/15/cdclabs_0515.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=13
No clear terror threat in cyanide case [Oklahoma]
“The FBI claims a Texas man told an informant he had a 25-gallon drum with enough cyanide inside to ‘kill a city.’ What he apparently didn't have was a plan to carry out an attack. Jeffrey Don Detrixhe, 38, of Higgins, Texas, was arrested this week in southeastern Oklahoma on a complaint of possession or transfer of a chemical weapon following an FBI sting in which an informant claimed he saw Detrixhe bring home an approximately 4-foot tall drum with cyanide in it.” (Dallas News; 15May08; Jeff Latzke, Associated Press) http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D90MCSB00.html
Germany: clean-up of World War I poison-gas plant finished [Hallschlag]
“The clean-up of a former plant which made horrific German poison-gas shells used in the First World War is complete after 20 years of work, an official told legislators Thursday. The Espagit factory in Hallschlag, Rhineland Palatinate state accidentally exploded in 1920 when an estimated 20,000 poison-gas shells were on the premises. The debris meant the site was an ecological disaster area for decades.” (The Earth Times; 15May08) http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205689,germany-clean-up-of-world-war-i-poison-gas-plant-finished.html
Exchangites hear incinerator update [Anniston Army Depot, Alabama]
“On Aug. 9, 2003, the incinerator at the Anniston Army Depot became operational and the number of chemical weapons stockpiled at the site has been dropping ever since. The goal of the men and women working for Westinghouse at the facility is to dispose of every chemical weapon before August of 2013. The company has been incentivized to finish before the treaty date, which is April 29 of 2012. We’re working hard to beat that date, said Bob Love of Westinghouse when he spoke to the Jacksonville Exchange Club on May 8.” (The Jacksonville News; 14May08; Jennifer Bacchus) http://www.jaxnews.com/news/2008/jn-localnews-0514-jbacchus-8e14m3607.htm
DEPOT: Problem shuts down chemical weapons incinerator [Hermiston, Oregon]
“Incineration at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Depot Facility has been temporarily stopped as officials investigate why smoke filled part of a furnace area early today [May 14]. The incident happened at 7 a.m. in the furnace area of the liquid incinerator, where VX nerve agent was being burned for disposal, said depot spokesman Bruce Henrickson. No one was injured and there was no danger to the environment or the community, Henrickson said.” (Tri-City Herald; 14May08; Franny White) http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/184016.html
Blocked pipes blamed for [Hermiston] Oregon weapons depot smoke
“Blocked pipes have been blamed for smoke that filled a small area of an incinerator plant at the Umatilla Chemical Depot in Hermiston Wednesday. The depot is disposing of deadly VX nerve agent left over from the Cold War. It burned its stockpile of sarin nerve gas, even more deadly, earlier. Depot spokesman Bruce Henrickson said the smoke was in the furnace room of Incinerator No. 1 after some strainers became plugged, leading to an overheating in the pipe system. He said no chemical agent was released.” (Oregon Live; 14May08; Associated Press) http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-24/1210796047237480.xml&storylist=orlocal
High toxin levels found in groundwater at Mie Pref. plant
“The Yokkaichi municipal government inspected a local plant operated by leading chemical manufacturing firm Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha Ltd. on Thursday, after groundwater at the site was found to contain 500 times the acceptable levels of arsenic, and excessive amounts of other toxins. Harmful substances at concentrations greater than those approved by the central government were found by in each of the six observation wells tested by the Osaka-based firm at the Mie Prefecture plant, according to the municipal government. […] Meanwhile, Ishihara Sangyo announced Wednesday that it violated a chemical weapons law by producing the highly toxic chemical phosgene at the same manufacturing plant in 2005 and 2006, without reporting its activities to the central government.” (Yomiuri Shimbun; 16May08) http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080516TDY02301.htm
Computer held by [Abdullah] Khadr's sister contains al-Qaeda files, RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] say
“The RCMP say they have uncovered a treasure trove of al-Qaeda files from a computer once held by Abdullah Khadr's sister, including ‘some sort of military operational plan to infiltrate Burma,’ according to court files seen by The Globe and Mail. In February, 2005, Zaynab Khadr left Pakistan to return to Canada, where she has never been arrested or charged with a crime. Still, the Mounties claim she left behind ‘two large metal containers’ in Pakistan that they searched once they were shipped to Canada on June 15, 2005. Court documents filed in one of her brother's cases show the Mounties say they found a hard drive that includes ‘material dealing with bomb making, ricin, techniques of assassination, chemicals, poisons, silencers, etc; incoming and outgoing e-mails of Zaynab Khadr.’” (Globe and Mail; 15May08; Colin Freeze) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080515.wkhadrzaynab15/BNStory/National/home
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.
“It’s difficult to prepare for a disaster when you’ve been taught that you’re not even supposed to talk about such an eventuality. But the Navajo Nation Department of Emergency Management and Work Force Development are teaming together to hire members of the community and train them to deal — on a community level — with potential disaster situations such as this past winter’s snow and mud emergencies. […] ‘We’re trying to move the Navajo Nation in a direction where they can be able to manage their own situations,’ from hazardous materials accident to bioterrorism, Jimson Joe, executive director of Emergency Management, said Wednesday.” (The Gallup Independent; Kathy Helms; 16May08) http://www.gallupindependent.com/2008/May/051508emergencies.html
Bioterror defenses in lobbying crunch
“The government’s program to defend the country against bioterrorism attacks has become embroiled in a lobbying war, as rival biotechnology companies seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts turn to influential K Street hired guns. The Bush administration’s $5.6 billion Project BioShield has come under heavy criticism in the wake of contracting problems that led to delays in the purchase of vaccines designed to protect against biological weapons.” (Politico; 15May08; Samuel Loewenberg) http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10351.html
CDC biolab not ready after 2 1/2 years [Atlanta, Georgia]
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new maximum-security laboratories in Atlanta were supposed to open in the fall of 2005. But the suite of Biosafety Level 4 labs — designed to contain the world's most dangerous germs — still haven't been certified as ready to operate. The $214 million building they're in was completed 2 1/2 years ago. CDC officials say nothing is amiss. But the delays have raised concerns about potential construction or design flaws in labs destined to handle smallpox and Ebola viruses.”
(The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; 15May08; Alison Young)
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/stories/2008/05/15/cdclabs_0515.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=13
No clear terror threat in cyanide case [Oklahoma]
“The FBI claims a Texas man told an informant he had a 25-gallon drum with enough cyanide inside to ‘kill a city.’ What he apparently didn't have was a plan to carry out an attack. Jeffrey Don Detrixhe, 38, of Higgins, Texas, was arrested this week in southeastern Oklahoma on a complaint of possession or transfer of a chemical weapon following an FBI sting in which an informant claimed he saw Detrixhe bring home an approximately 4-foot tall drum with cyanide in it.” (Dallas News; 15May08; Jeff Latzke, Associated Press) http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D90MCSB00.html
Germany: clean-up of World War I poison-gas plant finished [Hallschlag]
“The clean-up of a former plant which made horrific German poison-gas shells used in the First World War is complete after 20 years of work, an official told legislators Thursday. The Espagit factory in Hallschlag, Rhineland Palatinate state accidentally exploded in 1920 when an estimated 20,000 poison-gas shells were on the premises. The debris meant the site was an ecological disaster area for decades.” (The Earth Times; 15May08) http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205689,germany-clean-up-of-world-war-i-poison-gas-plant-finished.html
Exchangites hear incinerator update [Anniston Army Depot, Alabama]
“On Aug. 9, 2003, the incinerator at the Anniston Army Depot became operational and the number of chemical weapons stockpiled at the site has been dropping ever since. The goal of the men and women working for Westinghouse at the facility is to dispose of every chemical weapon before August of 2013. The company has been incentivized to finish before the treaty date, which is April 29 of 2012. We’re working hard to beat that date, said Bob Love of Westinghouse when he spoke to the Jacksonville Exchange Club on May 8.” (The Jacksonville News; 14May08; Jennifer Bacchus) http://www.jaxnews.com/news/2008/jn-localnews-0514-jbacchus-8e14m3607.htm
DEPOT: Problem shuts down chemical weapons incinerator [Hermiston, Oregon]
“Incineration at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Depot Facility has been temporarily stopped as officials investigate why smoke filled part of a furnace area early today [May 14]. The incident happened at 7 a.m. in the furnace area of the liquid incinerator, where VX nerve agent was being burned for disposal, said depot spokesman Bruce Henrickson. No one was injured and there was no danger to the environment or the community, Henrickson said.” (Tri-City Herald; 14May08; Franny White) http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/184016.html
Blocked pipes blamed for [Hermiston] Oregon weapons depot smoke
“Blocked pipes have been blamed for smoke that filled a small area of an incinerator plant at the Umatilla Chemical Depot in Hermiston Wednesday. The depot is disposing of deadly VX nerve agent left over from the Cold War. It burned its stockpile of sarin nerve gas, even more deadly, earlier. Depot spokesman Bruce Henrickson said the smoke was in the furnace room of Incinerator No. 1 after some strainers became plugged, leading to an overheating in the pipe system. He said no chemical agent was released.” (Oregon Live; 14May08; Associated Press) http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-24/1210796047237480.xml&storylist=orlocal
High toxin levels found in groundwater at Mie Pref. plant
“The Yokkaichi municipal government inspected a local plant operated by leading chemical manufacturing firm Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha Ltd. on Thursday, after groundwater at the site was found to contain 500 times the acceptable levels of arsenic, and excessive amounts of other toxins. Harmful substances at concentrations greater than those approved by the central government were found by in each of the six observation wells tested by the Osaka-based firm at the Mie Prefecture plant, according to the municipal government. […] Meanwhile, Ishihara Sangyo announced Wednesday that it violated a chemical weapons law by producing the highly toxic chemical phosgene at the same manufacturing plant in 2005 and 2006, without reporting its activities to the central government.” (Yomiuri Shimbun; 16May08) http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080516TDY02301.htm
Computer held by [Abdullah] Khadr's sister contains al-Qaeda files, RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] say
“The RCMP say they have uncovered a treasure trove of al-Qaeda files from a computer once held by Abdullah Khadr's sister, including ‘some sort of military operational plan to infiltrate Burma,’ according to court files seen by The Globe and Mail. In February, 2005, Zaynab Khadr left Pakistan to return to Canada, where she has never been arrested or charged with a crime. Still, the Mounties claim she left behind ‘two large metal containers’ in Pakistan that they searched once they were shipped to Canada on June 15, 2005. Court documents filed in one of her brother's cases show the Mounties say they found a hard drive that includes ‘material dealing with bomb making, ricin, techniques of assassination, chemicals, poisons, silencers, etc; incoming and outgoing e-mails of Zaynab Khadr.’” (Globe and Mail; 15May08; Colin Freeze) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080515.wkhadrzaynab15/BNStory/National/home
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.
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