A Nuclear Nine Eleven

		International Law Matters, Part XLIII A Nuclear Nine Eleven By William Brinton Originally Published 3/8/04 As millions mourned in Spain, officials tried to determine just what did happen in Madrid with some 200 dead and 1400 injured or dying. A plausible scenario has occurred to me. A few weeks ago, the New York Times ran a column describing how a miniaturized dirty bomb might kill as many as 500,000 people and leave a large area of New York and Connecticut uninhabitable for decades. Its basic components include some five pounds of cobalt, about ten pounds of enriched uranium, some sort of electric trigger serving as a switch for a dirty bomb carried in a suitcase. Cobalt is in relatively common element used in hospitals for nuclear medicine and/or the irradiation of foods sold around the United States. Terrorists need only the theft of cobalt to consummate their evil act. Blocks of cobalt used for commercial purposes come in a size of one inch by 12 inches and virtually immune from inspection. In September of 2001, a Saudi national was likely responsible for killing some three thousand people at the World Trade Center in New York City. Other than the nineteen Saudis who piloted the four commercial jets, we really don't know much more. Osama bin Laden is still seen as the planner of this destructive caper. He struck at the weakest area of commercial air service, its cockpit from which the terrorists knew of from careful study. The plans were hijacked and three of them crashed in various places. The fourth crashed in Pennsylvania killing its passengers. At the time, airports themselves were vulnerable and apparently still are. Despite creating a Department of Homeland Security, the Bush Administration was still weak on the ground, from which terrorists could strike again, notwithstanding the colored alerts now used to warn passengers of new troubles. Today, the weakest link in the air travel pattern is the security zone where baggage is unloaded for inspection by employees who sometimes miss dangerous objects. Harvey Molotch comments on airport security in his New York Times article of March 12, 2004.