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One reason why so few of the hundreds of terrorist attacks that have occurred over the last century have involved WMDs have been the technical constraints involved in their use. Weapons using CBRN materials are complex and require great technological knowhow to build. Transporting these weapons poses another challenge, and even deploying these weapons requires a level of expertise that many terrorists lack. Limited sources for CBRN weapons pose another consideration, especially considering that many terrorist groups are based in rural, undeveloped regions of the world. The expense of the materials necessary to develop WMDs is often prohibitive for terrorists even when a source can be obtained.

Nonetheless, there are reasons why the possibility of a WMD-related terrorist attack is such a grave threat to national security. There are ways in which a terrorist organization could access chemical, biological, or even nuclear weapons in order to build a weapon for such an attack. It may not be likely that a terrorist group could access both the materials and the expertise needed to construct a sophisticated fission or fusion bomb, but the chance of their creating a crude bomb or radiological weapon using fissile material that is purchased on the black market or stolen is far more likely, especially since national arsenals usually do not place the same degree of security on raw materials as they do finished weapons. It is also a possibility that terrorists may obtain this material by stealing fuel or waste containers that are being transported for disposal.

SUPPLIES NUCLEAR FACILITIES BIOTERRORISM

How Terrorists Might Access WMDs

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