A review of past incidents suggests limited interest on the part of terrorist groups in biological agents. While some have explored biological weapons as a potential terrorist tool, only a handful have attempted to acquire agents, and even fewer have attempted to use them. Yet, there is strong reason to worry that bioterrorism could become a much greater threat.
Biological weapons are well suited for their objectives.
Moreover, terrorist groups could employ biological agents to incapacitate, rather than kill. Such agents are also potentially useful as instruments of extortion, for political or monetary gain. The greater availability of expertise and resources at the command of terrorist groups could overcome past technological barriers to effectively dispersing biological agents, especially if the terrorists gain access to the expertise of a state-sponsored biological warfare program. An attack involving anthrax, for example, could kill tens or hundreds of thousands, if the agent were properly prepared and disseminated. In the United States there is growing concern that terrorists will employ biological agents.