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Terrorism and Biological Weapons: Inevitable Alliance?

Terrorism afflicts virtually every populated part of the world, causing enormous damage and much suffering. According to the U.S. Department of State, "Since 1980, nearly 6,000 terrorist incidents have occurred worldwide, leaving more than 4,000 people dead and 11,000 wounded" [I]. Further, over time terrorists have become adept at using powerful weapons capable of causing extensive, indiscriminate damage. Terrorist expansion has been paralleled by terrorist-supporting nations' acquiring new research and development (R&D) capabilities in microbiology, biotechnology, and chemistry. Some have applied that capability to manufacture chemical weapons; Iraq may possess an offensive biological warfare program [2]. In view of these disquieting developments, could terrorist organizations acquire biological weapons, whether on their own or from some state supporter? This question has only rarely been debated in the literature. In 1978, Mullen assessed the difficulties facing terrorists coveting capabilities sufficient to mount credible threats with nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons [3]. He found that, of the three, mounting a biological threat would be easiest to accomplish. However, as terrorist groups were led and manned by persons educated in the humanities and social sciences, Mullen concluded that the technical skills to deploy