I don't know if you are thinking too much about bio-terrorism - I work with healthcare organizations so it is on my mind too, from other angles - but I don't know how much assurance we can ever have in this area. I start with the question, where does this kind of risk come from? In the big, currently most scary abstract scenario it comes from terrorist moles operating in a sophisticated international network which has got its hands on some of the godawful stuff the Soviets brewed up and is now reputedly available via Russian mafiya sources. (Which would not surprise me.) While this could be a genuinely scary scenario, it is limited by (1) the actual number of effective moles available (which I don't think can be that high - especially now), and (2) the actual effectiveness of the bioweapons they may have (which might not be all that great). In the big, scary scenario the risk is highest to the highest profile targets - this is media- and morale-oriented warfare - so the question is, what kind of splashy biological attack could you make? Sporting events are obvious; crowded city streets (NY again) too. But how do you deliver it? Just hope smallpox didn't get out; anthrax at least isn't contagious . . . One answer on this level is that we do our damndest to eliminate all potential sources of black market bioweapons materials. (GWB to Putin: Read my lips - you'll get LOTS more aid if Vector etc. are thoroughly and verifiably destroyed.) Another is to continue shaping up our security backbone and then keep from falling asleep on duty in years to come. On the smaller scale raised by your question, though, the issues are somewhat different. There would seem to be very few private companies that would qualify as a good target for a terrorist biological attack - not like public spaces and governmental agencies. So their risks will more typically be disgruntled ex- and current employees, lunatics with a grudge, maybe "protection racket" crooks. E.g. in the Florida situation, while it is suspicious that the site was close to a site used by the identified terrorists, why the supermarket tabloids? If you want to strike at American media, why not the WSJ, Washington Post, NY Times? Or CNN? For that matter, if you're in FLA, why not hit a theme park? So it seems most likely this was an unrelated incident. Predicting and preventing such incidents has got to be really problematic. The vast majority of fired employees pose no threat whatsoever; nutcases are almost by definition unpredictable (unless they have threatened already). And the bioweapon threat at this level pales by comparison with the simple, easy ability of such individuals to get knives and guns; or remember McVeigh - truck bombs are a proven, easy way to cause mass destruction, while so far nobody's had a really good hit with bioweapons. I'm not sure this is at all reassuring, but at least it puts bioterrorism in some kind of perspective . . . From: John R. Christiansen - Stoel Rives LLP jrchristiansen@private Cell: 206.498.2019 / Direct: 206.386.7520 READER BEWARE: Unencrypted, unauthenticated Internet e-mail is inherently insecure. Internet messages may be corrupted or incomplete, or may incorrectly identify the sender. Please contact me if you wish to arrange for more secure communication or authenticate this message. -----Original Message----- From: Jeffrey_Korte/HR/FCNB/Spgla@private [mailto:Jeffrey_Korte/HR/FCNB/Spgla@private] Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2001 1:04 PM To: crime@private Subject: A Question about Bio-Terrorism Not to be a chicken-little, the sky is falling, over zealous alarmist, does anyone in the group know if their company has addressed bio-chemical mail attacks? I'm wondering how many companies have something in place to deal with this issue. The events in Florida obviously raise questions of how companies can provide adequate security to detect (if at all) mail laced with a bio-chemical agent and protect their employees. Thoughts? Or am I thinking too much about this? Jeffrey B. Korte, Information and Physical Security Manager FirstConsumers National Bank Voice: 503.520.8398 Fax: 503.520.7941 Pager: 503.921.3105 The information contained in this E-mail message may be privileged, confidential and protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution or copying is strictly prohibited. If you think you have received this E-mail message in error, please E-mail the sender at jeffrey_korte@private
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