Russian Authorities Foil Poison Attack Plan

Russian authorities have seized poisons believed to have been intended for use in terrorist attacks next week during a visit by more than 50 world leaders, the Los Angeles Times reported today (see GSN, April 15).

The liquid cyanide and another poison recovered this week near the Chechen border was sufficient to kill 3,000 to 4,000 people, according to Maj. Gen. Ilya Shabalkin, spokesman for Russia’s regional counterterrorism headquarters in the North Caucasus.

Authorities discovered the chemicals after receiving a tip that militants plotted “a series of terrorist acts in Chechnya and in other cities and towns of Russia, using highly poisonous substances,” said Shabalkin.

“The use of these strong-acting poisons in small doses in highly populated areas, key installations and in reservoirs could have caused large numbers of victims,” the Federal Security Service announced (Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times, May 6).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.