Biological science concepts and applications

Technology - Biological Science

WEAPONS of MASS DESTRUCTION and HOMELAND SECURITY ISSUES Introduction - Biological Terrorism and Homeland Security:

The horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were followed very shortly by the purposeful distribution of Anthrax through the U.S. Mail. Federal law enforcement authorities all but discounted any connection to al Qaeda or other foreign terrorists within months, and focused almost exclusively on the assumption that only domestic entities perpetrated the attack.

However, at least one prominent terrorism expert has since criticized this assumption, suggesting instead that good reason exists to reconsider the implications of the 2001 biological weapons attack within the context of the global War on Terror announced by the Bush administration that same year.1 in particular, Larsen (2007) points to the discovery in the aftermath of the Anthrax attacks in 2001 that a physician who treated a roommate of Mohamed Atta, leader of the 9/11 hijackers suspected an Anthrax connection that he communicated to the FBI in early 2002.

Specifically, that physician, Dr. Cristos Tsonas, a Florida emergency room physician had previously been interviewed by the FBI after a prescription bottle found in Atta's apartment for the antibiotic Keflex had been traced back to him. According to Tsonas, the patient had explained the infected lesion on his leg as resulting from a collision with furniture at the time. Tsonas contacted authorities after the publicity of the subsequent Anthrax attacks raised his awareness of the similarity between the symptoms for which he had prescribed the Keflex and those associated with Anthrax exposure.

Law Enforcement Response to WMD Terrorist Attacks: The use of weaponized biological agents and other weapons of mass destruction

WMD) present complex challenges for authorities within the Department of Homeland Security and the entire domestic law enforcement community. Local law enforcement agencies must be fully prepared and trained to mobilize personnel and other HAZMAT resources on very short notice, assess the nature of the attack and the extent of contamination and human injuries, provide site security against secondary attacks on first responders and command communications and coordination of local, state, and federal authorities. 2

Implications for Homeland Security and Law Enforcement: