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Could 2007 Be The Year of The 'Dirty Bomb'? |
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Written by Staff
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Thursday, 04 January 2007 |
According to a report by Canada's spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service otherwise known as CSIS, the world is "overdue" for a terrorist faction 'dirty bomb' detonation. And if that isn't sobering enough, the agency warns that terrorist groups exhibiting acute determination and resourcefulness could even detonate a more sophisticated nuclear weapon. Regardless of the method, the desired result is to spread as much radiation as possible to a large number of people.
The report which was released in late 2006 also concludes that the materials necessary for a working dirty bomb have been easily accessible for quite some time and it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to assume that some of the more organized terrorist factions are busy acquiring those materials.
An attack with an improvised dirty bomb or a more sophisticated device has the potential of destroying numerous city blocks with few immediate deaths but as the radiation spreads further beyond ground zero, many more deaths would occur over short periods of time. The destructive power of a dirty bomb depends on the size of the bomb and the amounts of radioactive isotopes and TNT used. Dirty bombs have been called the ultimate terror weapon because of the fear a detonation would ensue in the general population and beyond.
CSIS is warning that the actual detonation of a dirty bomb by a terrorist faction is "positively overdue" and added that there has been a gradual shift in terrorist thinking - the original goal of any terrorist was to inflict as much death as possible but their intent has evolved into attaining economic devastation. A strategically placed dirty bomb would kill a relatively small number of people but has the potential to cause ecomomic hysteria and collapse in the target region. |
