Medical Aspects of Chemical Warfare (2008) - The Black Vault

History of the Chemical Threatinterest in chemical warfare agents and the concernof government officials about the impact of a terroristchemical incident, the actual history of any suchincident is minimal.The Alphabet Bomber (1974)Muharem Kurbegovic, known as the “AlphabetBomber,” may be the first lone terrorist to have soughtto use chemical warfare agents against citizens onUS soil. Kurbegovic, who was apparently mentallydisturbed, had a background in engineering andcould have posed a greater chemical threat had he notbeen captured. He threatened to fire chemical-ladenartillery shells at Capitol Hill and mailed postcardsto each of the nine Supreme Court justices, securingtiny, liquid-filled vials under the stamps and claimingthat the vials contained nerve agent (which waslater proven untrue). He also detonated a series ofbombs in Los Angeles, leaving behind tape cassetteslabeled with letters (hence his nickname) that, had henot been captured, were to eventually spell out thename of his fictitious terrorist organization, Aliensof America. A search of his apartment 2 months afterhis arrest revealed a hidden cache that included 25 lbof NaCN and other chemicals capable of volatilizingcyanide or being assembled to manufacture phosgeneor nerve agent. 42The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord(1986)The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord(CSA) was a paramilitary survivalist group numberingabout a hundred people living in the Ozark Mountainsin Arkansas. Their ideology was based on a movementknown as “Christian identity,” that in part envisionedan apocalypse that would destroy “sinners” and allowbelievers to survive. CSA had largely been ignoreduntil one of its members allegedly murdered a womanand another killed a Missouri state trooper in 1985. Thesecond incident provoked a massive search, leading toa law enforcement raid on the CSA’s main complex.In addition to a sizeable amount of conventionalweaponry, the task force found 30 gallons of potassiumcyanide. CSA’s leader initially claimed that thechemical was meant for killing pests, although thegroup’s second-in-command admitted that the potassiumcyanide was obtained to poison urban water supplies.Although the 30 gallons of poison would havebeen diluted in a large city reservoir, the group wasconvinced that God would make sure the right peopledied. CSA appears to have decided on potassiumcyanide because it was easy to purchase. Althoughits initial attack with potassium cyanide would havebeen unsuccessful, CSA may have pursued additionalattempts to use chemical weapons. 43Aum Shinrikyo (1995)The story behind Aum Shinrikyo’s use of sarinnerve agent in the Tokyo subway on March 20, 1995,is perhaps the most famous and repeated exampleof chemical terrorism. It remains the only case of anongovernmental group successfully manufacturinga modern military chemical warfare agent and usingit against unprotected civilians. Aum Shinrikyo, or“Supreme Truth,” was founded around 1987 by ShokoAsahara, a partially-blind guru espousing a faith systemthat incorporated aspects of Buddhism, Hinduism,and Christianity. Failing to achieve legitimate politicalinfluence and reacting to outside pressures, Asaharaeventually incorporated an Armageddon involvingchemical agents into his teachings, and even predictedhis own death by sarin. 44Aum Shinrikyo was well-financed, claiming tohave a membership of some 40,000 by 1995, including10,000 in Japan and 30,000 in Russia (where therecent fall of communism had left citizens vulnerableto new spiritual ideologies and charismatic leaders).Well-funded, organized, and centrally controlled terroristgroups are more likely to be capable of acquiring,developing, and implementing a sophisticatedchemical warfare capability. The Aum was particularlycontrolling over its hierarchical structure, and membersacquiesced to a “Supreme Truth” that effectivelystifled any independent thought or questioning of itsauthoritarian spiritual leader. The Aum facilitatedinternal organizational control and intimidated policescrutiny and access to its members and workingsin three ways: (1) demanding its members sever allfamily ties, (2) seeking and acquiring the status of aformal and protected religion, and (3) responding vigorouslyto any and all criticisms and legal challengeswith defamation suits. 44 Bellicose intimidation, bothexternally and internally, was routine, and includedmurder; at least 20 of its members appear to have beenkilled with sarin or VX. 45Asahara had been interested in manufacturing bothchemical and biological warfare agents since at least1990, when cult members began to run for politicaloffice. The group researched how to manufacture sarinnerve agent and planned to build a facility capableof producing 2 tons of sarin daily. After failing tocause casualties by attacks with anthrax the grouphad manufactured, the Aum began using sarin in1993. On June 27, 1994, the Aum targeted a neighborhoodin Matsumoto, about 200 miles northwest of127