A Terrorist WMD Attack on the United States: A Detailed Assessment

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A Terrorist WMD Attack on the United States: A Detailed Assessment
Introduction
In presenting a detailed assessment of how a significant terrorist WMD attack on the United States might be conducted, the likeliest scenario involves a major terrorist organization such as al Qaeda covertly obtaining tactical nuclear weapons from unsecured nuclear facilities in Russia or Pakistan, smuggling them into the United States in shipping containers or oil tankers, and then transporting them to major U.S. cities where they would be detonated and inflict millions of casualties.
Although carrying out multiple nuclear attacks on American cities presents complex operational challenges, the vulnerability of nuclear weapons and material to theft in Russia...

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