Menace of Terrorism

(With Special Reference to Bioterrorism)

– Dr. Yashpal Chaudhri

The problem of terrorism is not a new one, and not a single state or country is suffering from this problem but the whole world is in crucial paws of it. In spite of it, there is neither the government nor United Nations has defined terrorism yet, so in this way, there is no official or legal definition available but everybody understands it. Simply it may be defined as an awful action and strategy by using violence, social threats, or coordinated attacks to create or generate fear in the community or a substantial segment of it for specified political, or religious purposes. In another word, it is a cheap method by an organized group or party to achieve its unlawful and avowed aims chiefly through the systematic chain of violence having the belief that this type of activity is morally justifiable to achieve their goals.

Terrorism: Some other definition
In 1937, The League of Nation Convention said that Ethnic separatist violence in the 1930s provoked the League of Nations formed after World War-I to encourage world stability and peace to define terrorism for the first time as “All criminal acts directed against a state and intended or calculated to create a state of terror in the minds of particular persons or a group of persons or the general public. 1

U.S. Department of defense: Definition of Terrorism:
The Department of Defense Dictionary of Military Terms defines terrorism, “The calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate government or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religios or ideological. 2

According to Robert A. Friendlander:
“The word terrorism derives from the era of French Revolution and Jacobin dictatorship; which used terror as an instrument of political repression and social control. The so called reign of terror, during the early 1790’s, was thus a state directed activity.” 3

According to G. Schwarzenberger:
“It is a use of power, which aims to create fear in the mind of people to get its goal.” 4

According to Brian M.Jenkins:
“It is a threat of violence or a person’s violent act or the convincing for violence to develop the fear.” 5

According to James A, Miller:
“A form of political violence not having the sanction of state or group of states, towards which it may be directed.” 6

According to Jay Mallin:
“Terrorism is a form of armed conflict, it is therefore with in military sphere when diplomats fail then soldiers take over. When soldiers fail terrorists take over. 7

According to Jordan J. Paust:
“Terrorism involves the international use of violence or threat of violence by the precipitators against an instrumental target, in order to communicate to a primary target a threat of future violence. The object is to use intense fear or anxiety to co/erce the primary target into behavior or to mould its attitude with demanded power (Political) outcome.”

Reasons of Terrorism:
There may be many reasons which can make a person advocate or practice terrorism as a means of coercion. But primarily seem three main reasons of terrorism.

• First of all, a person who has suffered a blow to his image, ego or esteem tends to resort to an act of terrorism to assert himself and attract attention.
• Secondly, if a person feels that he has become ineffective as an individual, he becomes an instrument of a larger group or gang.
• Thirdly, if one suffers from a feeling of want or alienation, he is likely to indulge in an act of terrorism so that he gets recognition and negotiated with and is able to bring down his adversaries to their knees.

So in this regard, it may be said that people choose terrorism when they are trying to right what they perceive to be a social or political wrong particularly when they have been stripped of their land or rights.

Types of Terrorism:
For this, we can take reference of research work in U.S.A. that was based on to distinguish different types of terrorism in 1970s, even within last two decades they had been succeeded in flourishing their groups with different names of organizations in both – domestic and international label. After research these types of terrorism found on face.

State Terrorism:
In this reference, It is argued that not only the specific people of the states but the states have also been involved in terrorist activities. For example- Germany under Nazi rule has been described in this way that used force to terrorize citizens to achieve a political goal.

Cyberterrorism:
It is totally based on information Technology to attack on civilians and draw attention to their cause. Terrorist can radically disrupt services with the tool of hacking the networks or information.

Ecoterrorism:
It is also a type of terrorism that is formed as a new term to describe violence in the interests of environmentalism. Environmental extremists’ sabotage property to inflict economies damage on industries.

Narcoterrorism:
This type of terrorism can not be defined in particular meanings this term came in form in the 90s of the twentieth century that is mainly concerned with violence using drug traffickers to influence the governments and to arrange the fund for several terrorist activities.

Nuclear Terrorism:
It is based on purely Scientific methods, in which extremists arrange the nuclear materials, weapons and other radioactive materials to influence and exploit the government as a terrorist tactic.

Bioterrorism:
It is well known aspects that scientific research is mostly concerned with the development and betterment of humanity but not less than half of the research product developed in good faith start proving devastating to mankind. For an example, the technological development in the field of infectious diseases is bioterrorism. When the attackers finds helpless or unable to face the opponent, they use suicidal terrorism. It is a very remarkable example of bioterrorism spread through human beings.

One terrorist in Cario, tore open the chest of one minister named Wasti Tale and consumed his heart. Mobutu Sese Seko, the president of Zaire consumed the raw flesh of his immediate past president Patrik Lummaba during Civil War in Congo. Even the slogan ‘Eat them(The American Army) Alive’ is gien by some terrorist organization in Pakistan.

How much It may be destructive If hundreds or thousands of hungry and poisonous Wasps, Scorpions and Snakes dropped into civilian population or onto army camps what will happen, and how will it be distressing, may only be imagine.

Similarly what will happen if hundreds of hungry monkeys artificially infected with rabies or other diseases are let free within the civilian area or the army? 9

Definition of Bioterrorism:

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
“A bioterrorism attack is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria and other germs (agents) used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. These agents are typically found in nature, but it is possible that they could be changed to increase their ability to cause disease, make them resistant to current medicines or to increase their ability to cause disease, or to increase their ability to be spread into the environment. Biological agents can be spread through the air, through water or in food. Terrorists may use biological agents because they can be extremely difficult to detect. Some bioterrorism agents, like the smallpox virus, can be spread from person to person.” 10

According to the definition from Wikipedia:
“Bioterrorism is terrorism involving the intentional release or dissemination of biological agents (Bacteria, Viruses, or toxins), that may be in a naturally occurring or in a human-modified form”. 11

History of Bioterrorism:
Bioterrorism, as seems possible begins from Rome in an ancient time, when faces were thrown into faces of enemies. The early history begins with spreading of bubonic plague in 14th century that is known also the age of Chaucer in English literature. Due to the bubonic plague, the annual death rate was very high perhaps as high, as fifty percent, but in 1348-49 it has been estimated that from one-third in one-half of the population disappeared, so this death, the great mortality, the great pestilence and even this period is called the period of the Black Death.

The apparent lack of medical advancement it (Bubonic plague) quickly moved across all over European Coutries and destroying a large portion of its population.

During First World War Germans used chemical weapons against French army on 22nd April 1915. In response to that, Geneva treaty of 17th June 1925 prohibited the use of both chemical and biological methods of warfare. In 1968 UK proposed a new convention for the prohibition of microbiological methods of warfare that could supplement the Geneva protocol. On the April 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) was signed by U.S.A., U.K. and then USSR (Now Russia) the three depositories. This convention entered into force 3 years later in March 1975, by then 143 countries of the world had signed it including India. 12

Two college students named Allen Schwander and Stephen Pera were arrested by Chicago police in 1972, who had planned to poison the city’s water supply with thphoid and other tacteria Schwander had founded a terrorist group, “R.I.S.E”, while pera collected and grew cultures from the hospital where he worked. Some effecting in creating fear by small organizations. 13

1984- USA- Shri Rajneesh bioterrorist attack in Oregon in 1984, followers of Rajneesh attempted to control a local election by incapacitating the local population. This was done by infecting salad in eleven (11) restaurants, produce in grocery stores, doorknobs and other public domains with toxins of Salmonella. In the bio attack total 751 people were infected with severe food poisoning. This incident was the first known bioterrorist attact in the United States in the 20th century. 14

1993-Japan-Aum Shinrikyo anthrax release in Kameido:-
In June 1993 the religions group Aum Shinrikyo released anthrax in Tokyo, Eyewitnessess reported a foul ordor. The attack was s total failure, infecting not a single person this case shows how difficult it is to aerosolize anthrax spores in high concentration. 15

2001-USA-Anthrax Attacks:-
In September and October, 2001 several cases of anthrax broke out in the United States Letters reached with infectious anthrax were delivered to news media officer and the U.S. Congress.

Actually as compared to nuclear and chemical warheads, these biological, Weapons are cheaper, easy to produce and reproduce, can be stored safely, check-proof secured transportation, undetectably and silently sprayed to be inhaled without any odor or taste or settle down on earth that may perpetuate after years.

Types of Bioagents:
After the study of bioagents we can divided these into two groups; One, that have the high mortality rates and the second, that have low mortality rates.

The first groups agents can be easily transmitted and disseminated, Having with high morality rate have major impact on public health. These are: Anthrax (Cutaneous Anthrax, Pulmonary Anthrax, Ocular Authrax and Intestinal Anthrax), Tularemia, Bubonic plague, Small pox, Botulinum toxic and Viral hemorrhagix fevers.

The second group agents are those which are moderately easy to disseminate but have low mortality rate in comparison of the first group agents. These are

• Abrin toxin (Abrus Precatarisu)
• Q fever (Coreiella Burnetti)
• Brucellosis (Brucella Species)
• Ricin toxin (Ricinus Communis)
• Glanders (Burkholderia Mallei)
• Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B
• Melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomalleio)
• Typhus (Rickettsia prowazekii)
• Psittacosis (Chlamydia psittaci)

Other than the aforesaid bioagents, some agents may also effective in the form of virus such as the Nipah Virus and Hantavirus, SARS and H1N1 can create potential diseases.

Biosurveillance Systems:
To check this type of bio-attack, the World needs a perfect planning and developing biological identification system. In this field the work and research have been started, especially from 1999 by the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Biomedical Informatics deployed the first automated bioterrorism detection system, and called RODS (Real Time Outbreak Disease Surveillance) This system is designed to collect date from many data sources and use them to perform signal detection to detect the possibility of bioterrorism event at the earliest possible moment.

The RODS laboratory also established the National Retail Data Monitor (NRDM) a system that collects data from 20,000 retail locations nation wide. George W. Bush visited the RODS laboratory on Feb 5, 2002 and decided to equip bio-survellance system in all 50 states.

The principles and practices of bio-surveillance a new interdisciplinary science, were defined and described in the Handbook of Bio-surveillance edited by Michacl Wagner, Andrew Moore and Rom Aryel, Published in 2006, that is very useful for all people to know how can safe self during bio attack. Bio-surveillance is the science of real time disease outbreak detection . Its principles apply to both natural and man made epidemics (bioterrorism) Other systems which are developed in the laboratory of Pittsburgh University in U.S.A. are:

• Health related computer data systems
• Electronic health record systems
• Medical examiner record-keeping systems
• Veterinary medical record systems

Researchers are also working on the utility of data generated by ranching and feedlot operations, food processors, drinking water systems, school attendance recording and physiologic monitors and among others.

Researchers are experimenting with devices to detect the existence of a threat:

• Tiny electronic chips that would contain living nerve cells to warm of the presence of bacterial toxins (identification of broad range toxins)
• Fiber-optic tubes lined with antibodies coupled to light-emitting molecules (identification of specific pathogens, such as anthrax, botulinum, ricin)

Even new research shows that Ultraviolet avalanche photodiodes after the high gain, reliability and robustness needed to detect anthrax and other bioterrorism agents in the air. The fabrication methods and device charteristics were described at the 50th Electronic Matherials Conferences in Santa Barbara on June 25, 2008. Details of the photodiodes were also published in the Feb 14, 2008 issue of the journal Electronics Letters.

Suggestion
Duty of Government and intellectuals to check terrorism

• The intellectuals of the country, like writers, poets, actors, Jounalists etc can help the government by creating public opinion against the menance terrorism.
• The government, on its part should remove social repression, racial discrimination and exploitation wherever they exist.
• UNO should intervence the countries that motivate terrorism. In this respect an international criminal Jurisdication should be establish to curb terrorism.
• The training centers of Major enlisted terrorist group should be destroyed by stringent international forces. Even all the members of the United Nations should commit joint action to root out the menace of terrorism.
• There should be proper and efficient internal security check at all points of requirements of state including the ministers, high ranked politicians, police personnel etc.
• Government should issue the national wide identification cards for every citizen or living in India.
• Government should reduce the gap between haves and haves not.
• Media will have to take its responsibility to reduce or eliminate the problem of terrorism.
• Government should arrange the minimum required facilities (like food clothing house, and job) for every eligible person.
• Policy makers should have the vision to root out the poverty within a time frame.
• Government should arrange the modern scientific training of special police to forces to combat terrorism.

Duty of People of Concerning Country to reduce or check Terrorism:-

In democratic countries, people can express their views without any fear. They can even criticize the acts of their Government. They can air their grievances or put forward their demands through constitutional means.

• If the genuine grievances are not looked into or just demands are not conceded, the people have other democratic and non-violent means available to them to foucs. Attention of Government to their problems grievances or demands.
• People should not allow terrorists to succeed in their furious aims of creating fear, communal disturbances and chaos.
• Even whenever terrorist resort to killing people should not over-react. They should remain calm and peaceful.
• Although the militants and certain political parties backed by the militants had warned the people not to vote in the elections yet people showed courage and defying the warnings given by the militants, made use of their franchise.

At last but not the least, for the purpose of precaution and response to bioterrorism incident or threat, Government agencies should have Emergency Medical Units and latest developed bio-surveillance systems establish them at sensitive areas to detect the bioagents.

References:-

1- United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions (5, Sep 2006)
2- U.S. Department of Defense (12 July 2007) (PDF) Joint publication 1-2 department of defense dictionary of Military and associated terms.
3- Friendlander, Robert A, Terrorism: Inter disciplinary perspectives, p-31
4- Schwarzenberger, G; International Law and order, P-219-20
5- Jenkins, Brian M-‘International Terrorism- A New mode of Conflict in ‘International Terrorism and World Security’, (Publisher, David Carlton and Carlo Scharf, P-13,14)
6- Miller, James A, ‘Terrorism: Inter disciplinary perspectives, P-67’
7- Mallin, Jay; ‘Terrorism: Inter disciplinary perspectives, P-95’
8- Paust, Jordan J- “Terrorism : Inter disciplinary perpectives, P-2′
9- Quadir, Abdul Dr. “Quote from Bioterrorism”
10- Bioterrorism overview, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 12 Feb., 2008
11- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
12- Quadir, Adbul Dr. “Quote from Bioterrorism”
13- W. Seth Carus, “R.I.S.E.”, in Toxic Terror: Assessing Terrorist use of Chemical and Biological Weapons (MIT Press, 2000) P-55, P-69
14- Past U.S. Incidents of Food Bioterrorism: A Threat to National Security or Public Health Defining Issue, University of Wisconsin – Madison and the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene MM & I – 554, September 30, 2008
15- CDC- Bacillus anthracis Incident, Kameido, Tokyo 1993

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