Global Jihad: temi, piste di diffusione e il fenomeno del reducismo ...

edundant buildings on-site have been “crudely adapted” to store large quantities of
radioactive materials for which they are clearly unsuited. He also asserts that “the
design
of the most modern plants does not seem to provide that much defence (in
terms of containment surety and segregation of hazardous materials) against an
aerial attack.” bility of nuclear facilities could allow for
149 These defects in the defensi
serious consequences if an attack was mounted.
This scenario has
been described as being comparable to the Chernobyl nuclear
power plant accident of 26 April 1986. By March 1999, The Union
of Concerned
Scie ntists had already documented over 120 acts of sabotage at US nuclear plants
alone. 150
Professor Paul Rogers, a renowned nuclear terrorism expert, recently also
highlighted the threat
posed by paramilitary attacks on nuclear plants as a form of
“economic targeting” – the sister strand to mass casualty attacks. Rogers outlined the
additional danger whereby terrorists, or paramilitary groups, could foreseeably
target nuclear power plants for the primary purpose of waging economic warfare,
with the secondary effect of causing widespread destruction, death and
contamination. 151
Radioactive waste products
The sheer number of radioactive waste shipments across the European continent is
the highest in the world, and concerns remain regarding the vulnerability of such
shipments to attack, with resulting radioactive fallout. While there are regulations
pertaining to the security and safety arrangements of such shipments, vulnerabilities
still exist and are magnified when faced with a particularly determined attacker or
149 Ibid
150 Lochbaum, D., Three Mile Island’s Puzzling Legacy
151 Rogers, P., “The Risk of Nuclear Terrorism in the UK”, Secure Energy: options for a Safer World, Factsheet 3
(Oxford Research Group: 2006)
227