CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- September 27, 2006

Powder clears 4 [Colorado] state offices

“Four state offices in Denver and Lakewood received letters Monday containing white powder determined to be sugar and artificial sweetener a day after a biological-weapons scare at a south Denver bank. About 300 state workers were evacuated just after 1 p.m. for about an hour from the Centennial Building on Sherman, where four people, including a Colorado State Patrol officer, were exposed to the powder… At virtually the same time a few blocks away, the Trade Center's 27th floor and the floor above and below were evacuated when two workers were exposed to the envelope [of powder]…” (Denver Post, 26Sep06, Manny Gonzales and Felisa Cardona)
http://www.denverpost.com
/ci_4395866?source=rss

FBI Official Says Ag Threat Still Exists

“Agriculture is not safe from the threat of agroterrorism, and according to FBI Deputy Director John Pistole, the threat is ‘real and the impact could be devastating,’ according to remarks he made to the Associated Press. Pistole was taking part in the second International Symposium on Agroterrorism being held in Kansas City this week. He notes the costs are too high for the threat and while terrorist groups may have weakened in some parts of the world they're not gone.” (Farm Futures, 27Sep06) http://www.farmfutures.com
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U of M [University of Michigan] resident: Bioterror still rural problem

“Even rural areas need to be on guard for a bioterror attack, a University of Michigan medical resident said at a presentation Tuesday afternoon at Portage Health. Erich Kickland, a fourth-year resident, was at Portage for the past month to gain experience in a rural emergency room setting. At the outset, he’d thought bioterrorism planning wouldn’t be as big an issue in remote areas. But in his research, he’d found the opposite. While a mass casualty attack is unlikely, even a mild event could incite a surge of chaos. In the event of an attack on a large metropolitan area, low-population spots could expect a flood of refugees, some of whom might be carrying contagions. ‘The first thing they’re going to want to do is go somewhere they perceive as being safer…’ he said.” (Mining Gazette, 27Sep06, Garrett Neese)
http://www.mininggazette.com
/stories/articles.asp?articleID=3701

Depot rocket destruction delayed

“A glitch Tuesday in the emergency sirens surrounding the Umatilla Chemical Depot delayed the start of projectile destruction. While preparing for a planned test of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program's emergency sirens, officials noticed there was a problem with the signal that activates the system, explained Chris Brown, Oregon CSEPP manager. Depot crews will wait until the sirens are working to move the (GB) sarin-filled 8-inch projectiles from their storage igloos to the incinerator, said depot spokesman Bruce Henrickson.”
(TriCityHerald.com, 27Sep06, Jeannine Koranda)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com
/tch/local/story/8238707p-8135575c.html

Over 3,000 Bombs Processed at Russian Chemical Weapons Destruction Plant

“Detoxification of 3,068 aerial bombs containing VX gas is under way at a chemical weapons destruction facility in the village of Maradykovo (Kirov Region). The first line of the facility was commissioned two weeks ago. ‘The facility is working as normal; from 90 to 120 toxic aerial bombs are detoxified here every day,’ head of the conventional problems department of the regional administration Mikhail Manin told ITAR-TASS today. ‘Bombs are delivered one by one from the arsenal to a special storing place and are placed in an airtight unit. A special reagent is poured inside the shell. The bombs are then sealed and marked by inspectors from the international Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, after which the bombs are put into storage for three months, which is necessary for detoxification.’” (Red Orbit, 22Sep06, ITAR-TASS) http://www.redorbit.com
/news/science/667129/ov
er_3000_bombs_proces
sed_at_russian_chemica
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plant/index.html?source=r_science

Workers Contain Leak At Deseret Chemical Depot

“Workers at Deseret Chemical Depot contained a liquid mustard agent leak at the facility today. About two tablespoons of the agent was discovered leaking during routine monitoring operations in a storage igloo. Depot workers in protective clothing removed the leaking container to a different structure. The container’s plugs and valves will be replaced. In a separate operation, workers replaced a valve suspected of leaking mustard agent vapor from another bulk container.” (KUTV.com, 25Sep06) http://kutv.com
/local/local_story_268233921.html

Japan collects 418 shells of wartime chemical weapons in China

“The Japanese government has collected 418 shells believed to be of wartime chemical weapons abandoned by the Imperial Japanese Army in Dunhua in China's Jilin Province, the Cabinet Office said Wednesday. In a project to collect and dispose of abandoned chemical weapons from Aug. 22 to Monday, a total of 438 shells were found, with 20 of them confirmed not to be those abandoned by the Imperial Japanese Army. The 20 shells were given to the Chinese government. The project, supported by the Chinese government, is the third of its kind, following one in October to November of 2005 and one in the May-June period this year.” (Yahoo! Asia News, 27Sep06, Kyodo News)
http://asia.news.yahoo.com
/060927/kyodo/d8kcviug0.html

Chemist isn’t fit for trial: Paranoid man kept stockpile of cyanide

“An Independence [Missouri] chemist who is accused of possessing enough potassium cyanide to kill up to 1,000 people is suffering from irrational delusions and should be found not competent to stand trial, a federal magistrate said yesterday. Hessam Ghane, 56, was indicted more than three years ago for illegally stockpiling the poison. His mental condition has been the subject of numerous hearings since he was taken into custody in May 2003. Officials did not believe that Ghane, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Iran, was part of a terrorist plan. The poison is prohibited under the International Chemical Weapons Convention.” (Columbia Daily Tribune, 26Sep06, AP) http://www.columbiatribune.com
/2006/Sep/20060926News022.asp

PharmAthene Awarded $213 Million Department of Defense Contract for Advanced Development of Protexia

“PharmAthene, Inc., a leading biodefense company specializing in the development and commercialization of medical countermeasures against chemical and biological terrorism, announced today that it has been awarded a multi-year contract valued at up to $213 million from the Department of Defense (DoD) U.S. Army Space and Missile Command, for advanced development of the Company's broad spectrum chemical nerve agent prophylaxis, Protexia(R). The Protexia contract was awarded through a full and open competitive solicitation seeking novel second generation prophylactic products for use in humans to prevent and treat poisoning from organophosphorus (OP) nerve agents such as sarin gas, soman, tabun and VX. Protexia is a form of recombinant human butyrylcholinesterase (rBChE), a potent organophosphorus (OP) scavenger protein, being developed for use as a prophylactic to protect U.S. military personnel and civilians from the toxic effects of chemical nerve agents.” (PharmaLive, 25Sep06)
http://www.medadnews.com
/News/Index.cfm?articleid=375814

Court briefly shut down as Saddam is removed after outburst

“For the second time in as many days in his genocide and war crimes trial, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was ordered out of the courtroom on Tuesday, sparking an eruption from the other defendants and briefly shutting down the court. Saddam and his six co-defendants have been on trial since Aug. 21 for their roles in a 1987-1988 crackdown on the Kurds, which has become known as the Anfal campaign, a reference to a verse in the Quran meaning roughly ‘the spoils of war.’ They're accused of killing as many 180,000 people, mostly civilians, in a military offensive that included the use of chemical weapons. [After Tuesday’s outburst,] [t]he judge ordered the curtains to the press gallery closed and declared a recess. When the afternoon session resumed, the defendants' cages were empty. The court recessed until Oct. 9.” (San Jose Mercury News; 26Sep06; Mark Brunswick, McClatchy Newspapers)
http://www.mercurynews.com
/mld/mercurynews/news/world/15613876.htm

*Vietnam praised for implementing chemical weapons convention

“The leader of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
(OPCW) said Vietnam has become a symbol in the region in implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). OPCW Director General Rogelio Pfirter made the remarks in his meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem in Hanoi on September 26. Deputy PM Khiem assured his guest that Vietnam will strictly comply with the regulations of the Convention to prohibit the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and to destroy them.” (Nhan Dan, 27Sep06)
http://www.nhandan.com
.vn/english/news/270906/domestic_praise.htm

DHS [Department of Homeland Security] secretary weighs in on port security bill

“Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff encouraged lawmakers Tuesday to pass a maritime security bill that is not weighed down with extraneous provisions, indicating that his department supports the House's version of the legislation more than the Senate's approach. Democrats… continued to press Chertoff on scanning cargo at foreign ports, noting that a nuclear bomb could be smuggled into the country in cargo containers. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., called on Chertoff to ensure that, within three years, all cargo is scanned at foreign ports before being put on ships bound for the United States. Chertoff countered: ‘We don't own the foreign ports, congressman.’” (GovExec.com; 26Sep06; Chris Strohm, CongressDaily) http://www.govexec.com
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d=35121&dcn=todaysnews

UN atomic watchdog calls for financial and technical support to fight nuclear terrorism

“The United Nations atomic watchdog agency has called on all Member States to provide political, financial, and technical support to prevent nuclear and radiological terrorism. The call, which also seeks necessary funds for the Nuclear Security Fund, came in a resolution passed by the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference, which was attended by more than 100 Member States and ended last week. The resolution on ‘Nuclear Security - Measures to Protect Against Nuclear Terrorism’ emphasizes the importance of physical protection and other measures against illicit trafficking and national control systems for ensuring protection against nuclear terrorism and other malicious acts, including the use of radioactive material.” (UN News Centre, 26Sep06) http://www.un.org/
apps/news/story.asp?N
ewsID=20022&Cr=Nuclear&Cr1=

Terrorism Insurance: Measuring and Predicting Losses from Unconventional Weapons Is Difficult, but Some Industry Exposure Exists

“Terrorists using unconventional weapons, also known as nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological (NBCR) weapons, could cause devastating losses. The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) of 2002, as well as the extension passed in 2005, will cover losses from a certified act of terrorism, irrespective of the weapon used, if those types of losses are included in the coverage. Because of a lack of information about the willingness of insurers to cover NBCR risks and uncertainties about the extent to which these risks can be and are being insured by private insurers across various lines of insurance, GAO was asked to study these issues. …Insuring NBCR risks is distinctly different from insuring other risks because of the potential for catastrophic losses, a lack of understanding or knowledge about the long-term consequences, and a lack of historical experience with NBCR attacks in the United States. Measuring and predicting NBCR risks present distinct challenges to insurers because the characteristics of the risks largely diverge from commonly accepted principles used in determining insurability.” (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 25Sep06) http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d061081.pdf