Chemical Terrorism

In contrast to nuclear terrorism, which remains a problematic and complex matter to execute and is thus still largely theoretical, chemical terrorism is more concrete and practical, and has already been used. The most conspicuous chemical terrorist attack occurred in early 1995, when members of the Supreme Truth cult in Japan released toxic gases on various targets, particularly the subway systems of Tokyo and Yokohama, killing several people and injuring dozens. Fortunately the number of victims did not reach higher proportions, despite the high toxicity of the material released, and the panic that gripped the subway passengers, and resulted in a stampede.

Chemical terrorism may be divided into two main categories:

Attacks intended to cause mass devastation. In these cases, the terrorist organization releases a toxin on congested population centers, bodies of water, and unventilated areas in order to cause as many casualties as possible.

Chemical attacks intended primarily to terrorize, blackmail, or cause economic damage, for example, an attack on a particular product, such as a food product, by introducing a toxic chemical substance into the product itself.

For the organizations involved, chemical terrorism has several clear-cut advantages over conventional or nuclear terrorism. Firstly, chemical substances are more readily available. They can be manufactured using simple chemical processes known to any university student. The components are usually simple products that can be obtained on the open market. A chemical attack can be perpetrated using off-the-shelf pesticides sold in grocery stores. In addition, many countries (including known supporters of terrorist organizations) have large arsenals of chemical materials. One must therefore reckon with the possibility of chemical weapons being transferred from one of these countries to a terrorist organization in order to perpetrate attacks. This is particularly true of those countries that have not flinched from using chemical weapons against their own citizens or in their wars with neighboring countries.

Because Chemical terrorism is inexpensive and does not require extensive facilities or resources, even the poorer organizations can obtain and use them very easily. Chemical substances also have the advantage of mobility. In contrast to a nuclear weapon, which is usually large and cumbersome and requires special vehicles and security to transport, even small amounts of chemicals suffice for a chemical attack. For example a jar containing several hundred grams of a chemical substance may cause mass mortality and, of course, can be moved about easily with no need for special preparations or security.

Moreover, a chemical terrorist attack, for the very reason that it involves a non-conventional weapon, will inevitably trigger a serious lowering of morale and undermine the personal security of the citizens of the country attacked. In this context, it should be borne in mind that most chemical weapons are colorless, odorless, and devoid of any other identifying factor. Therefore, they cannot be detected until the moment citizens are exposed and experience symptoms. Furthermore, it is difficult to protect oneself from chemical substances or to prepare their use.