Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) - The FBI is warning police that terrorists could construct a simple but deadly chemical weapon out of materials readily available. "Little or no training is required to assemble and deploy such a device due to its simplicity," the FBI said Wednesday in its weekly intelligence bulletin to about 18,000 law enforcement agencies. The bulletin provides no details of a specific threat or possible location of an attack. It does say that terrorists could take advantage of building ventilation systems, air intakes or enclosed areas to disperse toxic chemical gas. Law enforcement officials previously have warned that al-Qaida...

<p>WASHINGTON - Anthrax, the bioterrorism agent that killed five people in 2001 and has frightened millions more, may be an effective cancer killer, according to new research from the National Institutes of Health.</p> <p>Genetically engineered anthrax protein -- designed to activate only on contact with a chemical on the surface of malignant tumors -- dramatically reduced and even eradicated cancers in tests on hundreds of mice, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences. Thanks to the genetic engineering, the anthrax did not poison the mice.</p>

FBI issues nationwide warning on ricin toxin By Andrew Buncombe in Washington 11 January 2003 The FBI yesterday issued a nationwide alert about ricin days after the arrest in London of seven men allegedly connected with an Algerian extremist group and the discovery of a small amount of the poison in their flat. The Bureau contacted 17,000 law-enforcement officials, and provided advice and information on how to handle ricin and warning how the deadly toxin might be used in a terror attack. "Use of ricin toxin as a weapon would be most effective in an assassination by injection or as...

Police search for missing terror toxin Updated 14:44 08 January 03 NewScientist.com news service British police are searching for a batch of ricin, the highly poisonous plant toxin, following the discovery of traces in a London flat. They are also seeking three men, in addition to the six Algerians already being questioned. Anti-Terrorist Branch police officers raided a one-bedroom apartment on Sunday morning, after receiving a tip-off, reportedly from the French intelligence service. They discovered castor oil beans, from which ricin is made, and some equipment. Tests at the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratories at Porton Down confirmed traces...

Date: Posted 9/9/2002 UT Southwestern Researchers Develop Vaccine Against Deadly Bioterrorism Toxin Ricin DALLAS – Sept. 4, 2002 – UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas researchers have developed a vaccine in mice against the deadly toxin ricin. Ricin has been used as a biological weapon in many parts of the world. "Ricin is not only dangerous, but it is also cheap and easy to make," said Dr. Ellen Vitetta, director of the Cancer Immunobiology Center at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study to be published in the Sept. 10 issue of the journal Vaccine. Large stockpiles of ricin...