Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

28 • ANTHRAX ATTACKSgroup core members are apparently veteran “Afghan” Arab volunteersof the Mujahideen war in Afghanistan and had ties with AbuMusab al Zarqawi. Inspection of their abandoned camps in Kurdistanrevealed they had been experimenting with preparations of ricin.In February 2004 the AS carried out simultaneous bombings ofthe offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and of the KurdistanDemocratic Party in Arbil. In December 2004 the AS bombed aU.S. military dinning hall in Mosul. The group is believed to havebetween 500 and 1,000 members, mainly from outside Iraq. Theirtactics have included bombings, assassinations, and kidnappingsoften followed by executions of hostages.ANTHRAX ATTACKS. Anthrax is an acute infectious disease causedby the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, which affects livestock andhumans. It has also been weaponized to serve as a weapon of massdestruction by the United States, Russia, and Iraq. Anthrax wasused in a terrorist attack within the United States during September–October 2001.Weaponized anthrax is finely milled to a particle size of five micronsor less. This pulverized anthrax is then also treated to neutralizestatic electric charges that might cause particles to cling together,so making their dispersal more difficult. The milled anthrax is alsomixed with silicate powders or bentonite to facilitate aerosol dispersal.While intestinal or subcutaneous anthrax can be fatal, the inhalationform of anthrax is most acute if not correctly diagnosed and treatedwith antibiotics within 36 hours after exposure. The anthrax used inthe U.S. attacks was milled to weapons grade but lacked the bentoniteadditive known to be used in Iraqi weapons-grade anthrax.On 5 October 2001, Robert Steves, an employee of AmericanMedia, Inc., of Boca Raton, Florida, died of inhalation anthrax. By15 October it was discovered that an anthrax-contaminated letter hadalso been mailed to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. Othertargets of anthrax-containing letters included the New York Post,Tom Brokaw, anchor of NBC news, and Dan Rather, anchor of CBSNews. Anthrax contamination was also found at the congressionalmail sorting center, the Brentwood general mail facility, which sortsWhite House mail, and the office of New York Governor George E.Pataki, as well as other post offices in Florida, Virginia, and Missouri.Anthrax contamination was also found at the home offices of the Paki-