Chemical Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism: TICs & TIMs

Chemical Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism
Training Support Package
Participant Guide
Slide 10
Chemical Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism:
TICs & TIMs
Malicious Thallium Poisoning
Other cases
• 1971: Graham Frederick Young kills two co -workers
– Liked to poison people
• 1988: George Trepal kills Peggy Carr
– Tainted Coca -Cola; 7 others poisoned, 2 became ill
– Kids playing loud music, and dogs chasing his cats
• 1988 and 1995: Iraqi dissidents poisoned
– 1988: Abdullah Rahim Sharif Ali killed
– 1995: Maj Safa al-Battat; presumably recovered
• 1997: Kurds poisoned by Iranian agents
– 60 sickened; presence of thallium confirmed
Module One - Terrorism by Fear and Uncertainty: Delayed Toxic Syndromes
10
Thallium has a long history of use by both “crazy” people like Graham Frederick Young,
who poisoned his friends and coworkers in England (he is the basis of the Young
Poisoner’s Handbook - a book and a movie) and by “crazed” people who perform
political or military assassinations. Graham Frederick Young was hospitalized as a
teenager as criminally insane after fatally poisoning his pets and step-mother, and
poisoning his father and sister, and classmates. He was released after convincing an
examining psychiatrist of his mental health, then went on to poison co-workers with
thallium added to tea. The workplace used thallium in the manufacturing of camera
lenses (John Hadland Laboratories in Bovington, Hertfordshire). A consulting toxicologist
became suspicious. When arrested by police, they found incriminating diaries tracking
the progression of symptoms in his victims. He died in prison, reportedly of a heart
attack, at the age of 42.
George Trepal, a member of Mensa, after becoming angry at his noisy neighbors,
poisoned them with thallium added to soda. He is currently on death row in Florida.
Thallium was also used to kill Iraqi dissidents. These two individuals represent some of
the many killed under Saddam Hussein’s reign. Some were poisoned by beverages or
food given as a “token of reconciliation” at the time of their release from prison, only to
die days-weeks.later.
Cross-border chemical terrorism in the Persian Gulf region has occurred on a large
scale. Smaller-scale events via poisoned food supplies occurred in the last decade, and
as seen on the next slide, continue to occur now.
December 2008 Version 2.0 Page 318