Even moreso if they get assistance from a government known to support terrorism. This is why Saddam Hussein had to leave power BEFORE he succeeded. He was TRYING to obtain WMDs. Would we permit a convicted felon to "try" to buy handguns? Would we permit someone to "try" to hire a hitman to murder another person?
Saddam Hussein may not have had any ties to the 9/11 attacks but the war in Iraq is not over that. Saddam's Iraq was a state sponsor of international terrorism. He even gave money to the families of suicide bombers.
Meanwhile, I still have not heard if it was "easier" to make a "large" batch (say about what would fill one gallon milk jug) of weaponized anthrax or a "small" batch (say 4 heaping table spoons). This must be considered in determining if we saw ALL of the anthrax that was produced for the attacks near 9/11/2001.
Would it be possible for a single man to do this (and the scrub down) or was it a conspiracy of several people (or even a nation)?
Exactly.
Some of the last smallpox outbreaks were in Iraq and other mid east or Muslim nations. That is significant. Iraq was known to be working with other pox viruses which can be model systems for weaponizing smallpox.
Better safe than sorry.