CBRN TERRORISM: A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ANALYSIS OF RISKS

The World Trade Centre attack of September 2001 and the subsequent anthrax letters brought the need for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) counter-terrorism preparadness into focus. By and large, our understanding of the nature of CBRN terrorism derives entirely from military the paradigm of chemical and biological warfare. An examination of recent CBRN terrorism events such as the 1995 Sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system by a terrorist cult and the 2001 anthrax letter attacks in the United States of America show that the military paradigm of CBW defence cannot be applied to CBRN terrorism.