Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Pentagon sells bioterrorism supplies
The Pentagon has been selling surplus laboratory equipment that could be used to make biological or chemical weapons, according to a congressional investigation released yesterday.
Defence officials were called in to answer questions before a congressional inquiry about the sale of the army surplus, which included centrifuges, evaporators, bacteriological incubators, and protective suits to unknown customers in other countries, including Egypt and the Philippines, where terrorist groups have been known to operate.
The news is particularly embarrassing, coming only days after the CIA-led Iraq Survey Group claimed the discovery of similar equipment in Iraq was evidence that the Saddam Hussein regime had a covert weapons programme.
"The cheap, virtually unregulated availability of low-cost biological laboratory equipment poses a risk to national security," said Christopher Shays, the Republican congressman chairing the inquiry. "The department of defence should not be a discount shopping outlet for would-be bioterrorists."
Sold! To the man with the shifty eyes!
posted by chris at 10:28 AM
------------------
|
