Terrorists could use 'insect-based' biological weapon

[Maria]

Terrorists could use 'insect-based' biological weapon
Terrorists would find it "relatively easy" to launch a devastating attack using swarms of insects to spread a deadly disease, an academic has warned.

By Stephen Adams
Last Updated: 2:43PM GMT 05 Jan 2009



Professor Lockwood said it would be easier to develop insect-based weapon than developing a nuclear or chemical weapon Photo: PA
Jeffrey Lockwood, professor of entomology at Wyoming University and author of Six-legged Soldiers: Using Insects as Weapons of War, said such Rift Valley Fever or other diseases could be transported into a country by a terrorist with a suitcase.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think a small terrorist cell could very easily develop an insect-based weapon."

He said it would "probably be much easier" than developing a nuclear or chemical weapon, arguing: "The raw material is in the back yard."

He continued: "It would be a relatively easy and simple process.

"A few hundred dollars and a plane ticket and you could have a pretty good stab at it."

Governments, he advised, needed to have robust "pest management infrastructure that's able to absorb and respond to an introduction" of infected insects, he said.

Trying to stop everything coming in at the border would not work, he said.

Rift Valley Fever is an east African disease which "can cause severe disease in both animals and humans, leading to high rates of disease and death" according to the World Health Organisation.

However, WHO says that "the vast majority of human infections result from direct or indirect contact with the blood or organs of infected animals."

Terrorists could use 'insect-based' biological weapon - Telegraph

 

[SeanB]

Stupid move on their part. It likely could very well establish itself in their area and backfire on them.

 

[Jiro]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz i've heard "it's relatively easy for terrorists to...." so many times that even terrorists laughed.

 

[Bottesini]

That would not be new. In medieval warfare, bodies infected with plague were catapulted into walled fortresses.

In the Americas a lot of the native population was wiped out by smallpox, sometimes purposely blankets were given that were infectious.

 

[Jiro]

That would not be new. In medieval warfare, bodies infected with plague were catapulted into walled fortresses.

In the Americas a lot of the native population was wiped out by smallpox, sometimes purposely blankets were given that were infectious.

they launched rotten cows too!

 

[Bottesini]

they launched rotten cows too!

Yuck! (although I don't know why that seems worse than plague corpses.)

 

[Jiro]

Yuck! (although I don't know why that seems worse than plague corpses.)

because it's filled with thousand of maggots and flies all over..... YUCKKKKKKKK oh btw - it smells horrible as well

 

[sequoias]

Oh boy, that's bullshit! It's not going to cause a huge impact with that kind of attack.

 

[Hear Again]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz i've heard "it's relatively easy for terrorists to...." so many times that even terrorists laughed.

exactly.

 

[Babyblue]

I think it is very possible!

It seems primative and easy enough for them to do.

West Nile is already in the US. From mosquitoes. It may not be Warfare. But the idea of using insects is plausible.

 

[Jiro]

I think it is very possible!

It seems primative and easy enough for them to do.

West Nile is already in the US. From mosquitoes. It may not be Warfare. But the idea of using insects is plausible.

1. how are they gonna gather a large amount of mosquitos?
2. how are they going to launch it effectively?
3. where are they going to get large amount of material enough to weaponized mosquitos?

I can see why this method will be epic fail -
1. mosquitos can be easily killed with simple pesticide spray available at any store or from duster plane
2. the mosquitos will not live long enough to be delivered to a target area

 

[JClarke]

1. how are they gonna gather a large amount of mosquitos?
2. how are they going to launch it effectively?
3. where are they going to get large amount of material enough to weaponized mosquitos?

I can see why this method will be epic fail -
1. mosquitos can be easily killed with simple pesticide spray available at any store or from duster plane
2. the mosquitos will not live long enough to be delivered to a target area

They need air for the most of the time, if they are in the suitcase for a long period of time, by the time they land in the target zone, it will be dead -- epic fail, I'll say.

 

[Babyblue]

1. how are they gonna gather a large amount of mosquitos?
2. how are they going to launch it effectively?
3. where are they going to get large amount of material enough to weaponized mosquitos?

I can see why this method will be epic fail -
1. mosquitos can be easily killed with simple pesticide spray available at any store or from duster plane
2. the mosquitos will not live long enough to be delivered to a target area

I was using it as an example that that mosquitoes already carry and transmit diseases.

So for terrorist to use insects is possible!

Any type of insects

 

[Babyblue]

They need air for the most of the time, if they are in the suitcase for a long period of time, by the time they land in the target zone, it will be dead -- epic fail, I'll say.

You'd be suprised how mosquitoes travel. In larvae state they travel in tires. one example. Barges that hauls a large amount of tires. Also carry a large amount of insect larvae.

 

[Hwy99]

Great, maybe in the future we will probably got bunches of Aliens and the Zombies just like those in the Alien movie and the Resident Evil all over in the Earth.

Just wonderful idea.

 

[Jiro]

I was using it as an example that that mosquitoes already carry and transmit diseases.

So for terrorist to use insects is possible!

Any type of insects

yes possible. anything's possible. point is - in order to conduct an effective acts of terrorism, you need to create a weaponized version to make a devastating effect. Devastating enough to make a news for a while. For this mosquito thing... you need to weaponize it so how are you going to weaponize it? What are they gonna weaponize mosquito with?? You need a lab + weaponized virus + delivery system + etc.

Beside.... have you ever seen mosquito in major metro area like NYC and LA??? with CDC and government protocols, West Nile Virus is containable. and to add another obstacle - terrorists have quite a limited window of opportunity to do this because mosquito requires tropical/temperate temperature + lake.

no biggie! nothing to worry about. if I hear in news that it's possible to create a bomb that's as small as water bottle that can level 5-blocks.... ok now I will shit in my pants!

 

[Liebling:-)))]

How could "terrorists" do that without infect themselves?

 

[Jiro]

How could "terrorists" do that without infect themselves?

you could wear biohazard suit or bee suit but it's still a huge challenge to weaponize thousand of mosquitos

 

[flyingace]

We're already being infested with bugs that hitch rides in luggage from country to country, via airplane. It wouldn't be too hard, but it seems really labor-intensive to plan such an onslaught, and also there's the risk that they wouldn't infect enough people to make a real statement, plus the risk that other predators would eat the insects before they could do any harm.

I'd say we have enough to worry about right here without worrying about outlandish nefarious plots by terrorists. I'm too busy wondering if I'd get bedbugs if I bought a new bed. :-o

 

[Maria]

Anythin' is possible! We are livin' in this sick world nowdays. There's always " hate " out there that we could not prevent it from growin'.

I think I know why they want to use insects as biological weapon so that way we couldn't blame them... because, we don't know who did it since the insects could be from anywhere where all the commons are.

On a 2nd thought, maybe I should move back to Alaska. I know what kind of bugs/insects Alaska have -- not like what I have in Florida here.