CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- August 21, 2006

Disaster response trailer stolen

“A trailer filled with $95,000 worth of bioterrorism emergency equipment was stolen near a Riverside hospital overnight, police said. Thieves cut a chain that held the 16-foot-long white trailer to a wrought-iron fence at an office-complex parking lot near Parkview Hospital sometime between 5 p.m. Thursday and 7:30 a.m. Friday, police spokesman Steve Frasher said. There were no hazardous materials in the trailer, he added. The stolen trailer is designed to be used to respond to bioterrorism incidents and hazardous-materials emergencies. Its only marking is a large ‘45’ painted on the side. It contains decontamination equipment, cleanup tents, showers and electric generators. ‘We're not certain who took it or if they even know what they have,’ Frasher said, adding that they have no indication of a motive. ‘We'd love to have those answers.’” (The Press-Enterprise, Inland Southern California; 18Aug06; John Asbury) http://www.pe.com/localnews
/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_C_trailer19.6c3544.html

Anthrax in Children Difficult to Detect and Treat, New Report Finds

“Difficulties in diagnosing anthrax may lead to dangerous delays in caring for children infected with this often-deadly disease, according to a new report from HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Treating pediatric anthrax is also a special challenge because most currently recommended therapies have not been widely used to treat children with the disease. The anthrax report was requested and funded by HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration.” (RedBolivia.com, 18Aug06) http://www.redbolivia.com
/noticias/News%20in%20English/23869.html

$75.3 Million for Five New Engineering Research Centers

“The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded $75.3 million for five new Engineering Research Centers (ERCs) that will develop cross-disciplinary research programs to advance technologies that address major societal problems and provide the basis for new industries. NSF supports ERCs for a maximum of 10 years while the centers develop a strong network of collaborations with industry leaders and a base of financial support that can sustain the center after ‘graduation’ from the NSF program. Including the new awards, NSF supports 22 Engineering Research Centers in the fields of bioengineering; earthquake engineering; design, manufacturing and processing systems; microelectronic and optical systems and information technology. Brief descriptions of the new centers follow. Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center (SynBERC) will focus on synthetic biology, fabricating new biological components and assembling them into integrated, miniature devices and systems such as microbial drug factories or tools for seeking out and destroying cancerous tumors, pollutants or airborne warfare agents. Center researchers envision devices that incorporate "off-the-shelf" biological parts--whether enzymes, cells or even genetic circuits--with standardized connections that can even be integrated into non-biological systems.” (Technology News Daily, 21Aug06)
http://www.technologynewsdaily.com
/node/4158

Anthrax Detector Developed - Monoclonal antibody recognizes a specific sugar on the surface of anthrax bacteria spores

“Spores of the dreaded Bacillus anthracis have already been used as a bioweapon against the civilian population. Once inhaled, the anthrax pathogen almost always leads to death if the victims are not treated within 24 to 48 hours. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is thus vital. A team from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zürich, the Swiss Tropical Institute, and the University of Bern has now developed a new immunological approach that can be used to specifically recognize anthrax spores. A number of tests for the diagnosis of anthrax already exist, including some highly accurate but also extremely complex, time-consuming, and expensive genetic methods. In contrast, immunological tests are very simple; however, it has not yet been possible to develop a truly reliable immunoassay. The similarity of the anthrax spore surface to the spores of other bacteria that commonly occur in humans has been a major problem: previous anthrax antibodies were not sufficiently specific.” (Innovations Report, 21Aug06) http://www.innovations-report.de
/html/berichte/biowissenschaften_chemie/bericht-69261.html

Structure Of Key Enzyme In Plague Bacterium Found

“Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have solved the structure of a key enzyme from the bacterium responsible for plague, finding that it has a highly unusual configuration. The results may shed light both on how the bacterium kills and on fundamental cell signaling processes. The NIST team determined the three-dimensional shape of class IV adenylyl cyclase (AC), an enzyme found in plague bacteria -- Yersinia pestis -- by purifying and crystallizing the protein and using X-ray crystallography at the Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology to resolve its configuration. Adenylyl cyclase is a fundamental enzyme found in one form or another in organisms ranging from bacteria to mammals. It synthesizes cyclic AMP (cAMP*), an important signaling molecule that in turn triggers a variety of cellular processes.
Six distinct classes of AC are known, playing a wide variety of roles.
AC-II is part of the anthrax bacterium's killing mechanism, for example, while AC-III triggers adrenaline release in humans.” (Medical News Today, 21Aug06)
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
/medicalnews.php?newsid=49951

Army burning mustard gas in Utah

“The Army has begun draining and incinerating thousands of containers of mustard gas held in storage at a facility in the Utah desert. The project at the Deseret Chemical Depot, begun Friday, will last six to 10 years. It involves burning about 6,200 tons of liquid blister agent and is complicated by the presence of an estimated 800 pounds of toxic mercury.” (CNN, 19Aug06)
http://www.cnn.com
/2006/US/08/19/chemical.weapons.ap/

Saddam facing poison gas charges: Anfal campaign included deadly assaults on Kurds

“Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein will go on trial Monday accused of genocide and crimes against humanity in the so-called Anfal campaign of 1988. The series of deadly assaults in the Kurdish region included the former regime's alleged use of poison gas. Hussein and six co-defendants -- including Ali Hassan al-Majeed, a former Iraqi general known as ‘Chemical Ali’ -- are on trial in the Anfal case. All face charges of war crimes related to an internal armed conflict and crimes against humanity. Hussein and al-Majeed have been charged with genocide. The other defendants in the Anfal case are Sultan Hashem Ahmed, the military commander of the campaign; Saber Abdel Aziz, the director of military intelligence during the campaign; Hussein Rashid, the deputy of operations for Iraqi forces at the time; Taher Ani, a former governor of Mosul; and Farhan Jubouri, former head of military intelligence in northern Iraq.” (CNN, 20Aug06, Joe Sterling)
http://www.cnn.com
/2006/WORLD/meast/08/20/saddam.trial/index.html

Defiant Saddam Hussein refuses to enter a plea at second trial

“A defiant Saddam Hussein shouted at prosecutors and refused to enter a plea Monday at the opening of his second trial, where he faces charges of genocide and war crimes connected to his scorched-earth offensive against Kurds nearly two decades ago. The trial begins a new legal chapter for the ousted Iraqi leader, who once again faces a possible death penalty for the killings of tens of thousands of Kurds during the Iraqi army's ‘Operation Anfal’ -- Arabic for ‘spoils of war.’ ‘It's time for humanity to know ...
the magnitude and scale of the crimes committed against the people of Kurdistan,’ the lead prosecutor, Munqith al-Faroon, said in his opening statement. ‘Entire villages were razed to the ground, as if killing the people wasn't enough,’ he said, displaying photos of dead mothers and children. ‘Wives waited for their husbands, families waited for their children to return -- but to no avail.’ The prosecution also accuses the army of using prohibited mustard gas and nerve agents in the campaign, and a map of northern Iraq in the courtroom had red stickers on locations where the weapons were allegedly used. The trial does not deal with the most notorious gassing -- the March 1988 attack on Halabja that killed an estimated 5,000 Kurds. That incident will be part of a separate investigation by the Iraqi High Tribunal.” (The Vancouver Sun, 21Aug06, AP)
http://www.canada.com
/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=fff0e677-93a1-415a-8842-df79d7a913bb&k=33023

Probe over nerve gas suspicion

“A Queensland company has been investigated by Australian Federal Police over fears that a 100-kilogram medical drug shipment was diverted to Iraq and possibly turned into nerve gas. Documents show that in late 2002, as Australia geared up to support the US-led invasion to destroy Saddam Hussein's alleged stockpile of weapons of mass destruction, the federal police questioned Alkaloids of Australia about a shipment of the anti-spasm drug hyoscine sent to the Syrian pharmaceutical company Ibn Hayan in 2001. Hyoscine, also known as scopolamine, is widely used to treat stomach disorders, motion sickness and vomiting. But according to US and British military reports, the drug can also be used as an ‘incapacitating agent’, causing temporary delirium, abnormally rapid heartbeat and impaired vision.” (The Age, 21Aug06, Richard Baker) http://www.theage.com.au
/news/national/probe-over-nerve-gas-suspicion/2006/08/20/1156012411533.html

[U.S. Representative Edward] Markey rips Bush over delay in radiation pill handout: 2002 law mandated iodine [potassium iodide] tabs for public

“Bureaucratic red tape in Washington has left thousands of Bay Staters dangerously unprotected against lethal radiation that could leak from a terror strike or meltdown at local nuclear power plants, a Bay State congressman warned yesterday. Congress approved a plan three years ago to distribute potassium iodide to residents nationwide living within 20 miles of a reactor, but the plan has stalled, prompting U.S. Rep. Edward Markey to fire off a terse letter to President Bush. Distribution of the pills, which are also known as KI pills, were part of the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act passed in 2002. KI pills help absorb radiation and can thwart thyroid cancer if people take them soon after exposure. Studies have shown the pills could have severely reduced cancer caused by meltdowns at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.” (Boston Herald, 19Aug06, Dave Wedge)
http://news.bostonherald.com
/localPolitics/view.bg?articleid=153483

Feds’ terror detection unit badly hobbled

“The federal research agency in charge of countering emerging terrorist threats such as liquid explosives is so hobbled by poor leadership, weak financial management and inadequate technology that Congress is on the verge of cutting its budget in half. The Homeland Security Department’s Science and Technology Directorate has struggled with turnover, reorganizations and raids on its budget since it was established in 2003, according to scientists, department officials and senior members of Congress. At the same time, the Bush administration’s overriding focus on nuclear and biological threats has delayed research on weapons aimed at aviation, a controversial choice that was questioned anew after a plot to blow up U.S.-bound airliners from London was made public Aug. 10.” (Fort Wayne, 21Aug06, Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post) http://www.gainesville.com
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