[ RadSafe ] Nuclear Terrorism: Weapons for Sale or Theft?

[Flood, John]

On 9/11, the band of terrorists could have used several hijacked gasoline
tankers and attacked major switchyards in a selected part of the country,
and caused the lights to go out for a long time in a major part of the US.
Instead, they went to a lot more trouble, taking a lot more time to prepare,
risking detection all along the way, in order to hit the World Trade Center.
Why?

Because a terrorist attack is not a simple military attack to destroy an
objective.  It is a publicity stunt.  It is intended to be spectacular
enough to get the attention of everyone and create a climate of fear.  The
most important aspect of attacks everywhere is the body count and the news
coverage that follows.  A nuclear weapon is the ultimate publicity stunt
with the ultimate body count.

That's why a truly ambitious terrorist organization will covet a nuclear
weapon.

Bob Flood
Nevada Test Site