Radical states with reputations for supporting terror, such as Iran and Libya, are seeking biological weapons. Today, officials in Washington stress that they know of no imminent danger, even while acknowledging the limitations of intelligence. Most agree that the threat, while low, is growing. The defenses that Washington is quietly erecting are, however, akin to the insurance that homeowners take out against floods and earthquakes. The odds may be small, this argument goes, but precautions are warranted since conditions are changing and damage could be great.
Biological weapons can be hard to make and use, contrary to myth and claim.
It took the United States decades to master the art before renouncing such arms in 1969. In the early 1990s, Aum Shinrikyo, a Japanese cult, launched at least nine biological attacks in Tokyo that were meant to kill millions. But the strikes produced no known injuries or deaths. These attacks occurred before the group's infamous chemical gas attack against the Tokyo subway system. The main appeal of such weapons is that they are incredibly cheap compared to chemical and atomic arms.