Bioterror

Bioterror is the chilling story of how scientific advances in germ warfare are fast outstripping the science of detection and prevention, threatening nations all over the world. Viruses and bacteria now offer terrorists and rogue nations a cheap and simple way of inflicting massive casualties on even the most militarily advanced countries. Bioterror reveals that already terrorists have attempted to use germ warfare in their attacks. We interview Larry Harris, a US white supremacist who was caught before he was able to release the germs which cause bubonic plague.
The programme examines the challenges faced when trying to detect these deadly germs and how the world's most advanced militaries are meeting them using the latest laser technologies. But it also shows how dramatic advances in genetic engineering, are making detection even more of a struggle. We reveal the unfortunate truth of how efforts to create a comprehensive world ban on these weapons are being sabotaged by a surprising enemy - the US biotechnology industry. Bioterror is a grim reminder that germ warfare is no longer just a futuristic nightmare. It is a very real danger to all of us.

broadcast in the UK on Channel 4
produced 1999