EYE SPY INTELLIGENCE MAGAZINE 115 2018 43
Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, USA. Scientists analyse samples
(evidence) to determine if chemicals or biological warfare agents are presentCYANIDE
T
hough a popular method to eliminate
targets in film and books, in 2013,
for example, data produced by
scientific and security organisations
revealed that of 2.3 million poison cases, only
294 were attributed to cyanide, and most of
these were from “occupational exposures.”
Along with strychnine and arsenic, cyanide
has been ‘bracketed’ by the international
community as “one of the big three poisons.”And of note, by mass and quantity, Polonium-
210 is a quar ter-of-a-million times more
deadly than cyanide, a chemical compound
that has many forms. However, cyanide has a
very dark association with those intent onZyklon labels from Dachau concentra-
tion camp. The label reads: ‘Poison
Gas! Cyanide to be opened and used
only by trained personnel’murder, and the 2013 data pales in respect of
its use in other theatres.It remains therefore a favourite with those
engaged in murder and terrorism, and there
are numerous cases where cyanide, in all it
variants, have been used to kill. Similarly, it
has been taken deliberately in cases of
suicide. It is produced by certain bacteria,
fungi and algae that are prevalent only in but a
few plants. Cyanide is a natural poison that
also exists in apricot pits and apples, with
traces in almonds and lima beans.The most infamous use of hydrogen cyanide
in the form of Zyklon B, was used by the Nazis
in concentration camps in WWII. During the
Cold War it was stockpiled by the Soviets, and
in 2003, al-Qaida sought to release cyanide
gas into the New York Subway (below).Zyklon B with
absorbent
granules on
display at
Auschwitz
Concentration
Camp Museumnthrax is an infection created by
bacteria - Bacillus anthracis,
usually transmitted from animals
(goats, cattle, sheep, and horses).ANTHRAX
A
There are four types of anthrax delivery:
cutaneous, inhalation, gastrointestinal, and
injection. Pulmonary anthrax is often lethal.
The greatest threat posed by anthrax is
through a bioterrorist attack.If the spores of anthrax are inhaled, they
migrate to lymph glands in the chest where
they proliferate, spread, and produce toxins
that often cause death. Treated by antibiotics,
whilst effective in killing the bacteria, they do
not destroy the deadly toxins that have already
been released by the anthrax bacteria.It is considered a viable choice as a biological
weapon as its spores are iner t and easily
stored until ingested. Anthrax spores can be
put into powders, sprays, food and water, but
is most dangerous when inhaled.In September 2001, anonymous letters laced
with deadly anthrax spores were sent to media
companies and congressional offices on the
eastern seaboard of the United States, killing
five people and infecting 17 others.In 1979, the accidental release of anthrax from
a bioweapons production facility in the
suburbs of southeast Sverdlovsk, Russia,
killed 68 people and injured a further 300.
Moscow denied anthrax was responsible.- US Secretary of State Colin
Powell holds aloft a ‘dummy’ vial of
anthrax as the UN debate if Saddam
Hussein has chemical weapons
One of the infamous anthrax-laced
letters which killed five Americans