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U.S.: Terrorists building biological arsenals for domestic targets

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Thursday, January 20, 2000

WASHINGTON -- Militants are searching for anthrax and other biological-based weapons for terrorist attacks in the United States, officials said.

The officials said the attempts are being organized by both enemy governments of the United States as well as freelancers with a beef. They said U.S. authorities in 1999 responded to more than 200 hoaxes involving chemical-biological agents such as anthrax that turned out to be hoaxes.

But they said authorities have also faced credible threats.

"We've seen loners, free-lancers and militia organizations trying to get their hands on bubonic plague and other toxins," said Pam Berkowsky, the Pentagon's civil support liaison to the National Security Council. "The technology is out there; it's on the Internet. It's in people's minds, and many people have the capability to do these things."

Ms. Berkowsky said terrorists have concluded that the most vulnerable part of the United States is civilian centers. This includes an effort to poison U.S. food and water.

"It's difficult to talk about specific scenarios," she said. "You walk a fine line in not wanting to give ideas to terrorists and potential adversaries about the kinds of things that you're considering. Suffice it to say that we are necessarily thinking about biological scenarios -- using both infectious and noninfectious agents -- and radiological and chemical scenarios."

U.S. officials have drafted plans to have the military respond quickly to any attack by weapons of mass destruction. U.S. troops would support federal, state and local government agencies during such incidents.

Last year, the Defense Department a task force to prepare a response to any attack by weapons of mass destruction. The department has set up 10 National Guard teams to rapidly deploy to contingency sites to assist local authorities.

Thursday, January 20, 2000


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