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Recovering radiological material |
"Federal officials have captured
a U.S. citizen with suspected ties to
Al Qa'ida who allegedly planned to build and explode a radioactive 'dirty bomb'
in the United States, the Justice Department said Monday."
"U.S. authorities capture 'dirty bomb' suspect"
—CNN, June 10, 2002
 s terrorism has become a daily topic of news headlines, the
looming threat of
radiological terrorism has become
more apparent. The interest expressed by certain types of terrorist groups in
using radiological dispersal devices (RDDs) and in
attacking nuclear facilities demands that increased attention be brought to this
threat. Terrorists can achieve certain goals through radiological terrorism that
conventional, chemical, or biological terrorism cannot achieve. Although to date
there have been few attempted attacks on nuclear facilities and no actual
uses of RDDs, governments around the world and their citizens have become
increasingly anxious about the threat of such attacks. Yet many people do not
fully understand the nature of the threat.
Why has radiological terrorism become such a prominent
and frightening subject? The attacks of September 11th showed that terrorist
groups are capable of causing mass casualties—and are prepared to do so.
The threat of radiological terrorism is not new, but it has received renewed
news media and public attention. It is an unfamiliar and unconventional form of
attack, and this lack of knowledge has only served to increase public fear.
Learning more about the probability, effects, and consequences of such an attack
will help to calm fear and lessen panic if a radiological attack actually
occurs.
This tutorial will introduce you to several aspects of
radiological terrorism and help you develop greater knowledge on this
subject. The tutorial will focus only on radiological terrorism, as
opposed to terrorism involving nuclear weapons. The threat of nuclear
terrorism is addressed in a companion tutorial.
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