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Research Story of the WeekChemical Terrorist Plot in Rome?By Eric Croddy, Matthew Osborne, and Kimberly McCloud On February 20, 2002, Italian police arrested four Moroccan nationals for allegedly plotting a chemical terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in Rome. The suspects were apprehended with approximately nine pounds of a cyanide compound (potassium ferrocyanide), as well as maps in their possession detailing the location of the water pipes that serve the U.S. Embassy.[1] In the days following the initial arrest, five additional Moroccan nationals were taken into custody, and all nine suspects are being held on charges of subversive association. According to media reports, police have thus far been unable to make much headway in the investigation. None of the suspects has a credible explanation for the maps and chemicals in his possession, and, as of this writing, no link has yet been determined between the suspects and the al-Qa'ida terrorist network.[4] On February 25, this case garnered even more attention with the discovery of a hole dug into an underground passageway next to the U.S. Embassy. Fears emerged that the terrorists were planning a chemical attack on the embassy from underneath the compound. The concrete tunnel, located under the street Via Boncompagni, is normally closed at each end by a wall three feet thick. However, Italian authorities claimed that someone had hacked through one of the walls, leaving an opening two feet high--enough space to enable someone to crawl through and reach the pipes of the water system of the embassy.[4] It is by no means certain that the hole was intended for nefarious purposes, as it may have been created earlier by local employees in order to pass tools back and forth.[2,3] Although it first appeared that Italian police had thwarted a major chemical terrorist attack against the U.S. Embassy, details that emerged regarding the specific chemical compound possessed by the Moroccans raised more questions about the nature of the incident and the intent of the alleged perpetrators. The substance reportedly in the possession of the would-be attackers was potassium ferrocyanide (also known as yellow prussiate of potash), a chemical commonly used as an anti-caking agent and food additive. Because of its low toxicity in mammals and humans, potassium ferrocyanide is an unlikely choice to cause poisoning, especially in a water system.[3] When combined with acid or heated to a very high temperature, potassium ferrocyanide can be induced to release hydrogen cyanide gas, a potent poison. But if the alleged attackers intended to generate the highly toxic gas--perhaps with the intent to deliver it through the ventilation system of the embassy--it is not clear how this goal could have been achieved from the underground tunnel.[3] With these facts in mind, it is possible that the perpetrators intended to poison the water supply of the U.S. Embassy, but that their lack of technical expertise led them to choose a widely available but ineffective chemical agent (potassium ferrocyanide) for the attack. Note: In a potentially related case, on March 3, 2002, Italian police arrested six men in Rome who are believed to have ties to Usama bin Laden. These men were overheard discussing plans to assassinate President George W. Bush and to supply terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. In addition, they were reportedly heard making references to the use of a cyanide compound. Italian police believe that this reference suggests a link between al-Qa'ida and the alleged plot to attack the U.S. Embassy in Rome.[5] Sources:
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Cyanide: Background Also referred to as prussic acid, hydrogen cyanide (NATO code AC) has been known as a classic poison for centuries. In modern times, cyanide compounds have been used for mass murder and terrorism. Nazi Germany employed hydrogen cyanide--used at the time as a commercial rodenticide--to murder millions of Jews and others at Auschwitz and other death camps. In 1978, potassium cyanide (dissolved in water) was used by the Reverend Jim Jones and his cult followers in Guyana to commit mass-suicide, resulting in the deaths of over 900 people. Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) gas has also been used in political assassination. Using a contraption that combined ampoules in a metal tube,[1] in 1959 the Soviet KGB murdered Ukrainian nationalist and exile Stefan Bandera by spraying him directly in the face with HCN. HCN is a member of the "blood agent" category of chemical weapons, so-named because it interferes with the energy metabolism of all living tissues. The French military made many attempts to use hydrogen cyanide as a weapon during World War I, with mixed results. Although HCN is a liquid at room temperature, its high volatility makes it difficult to achieve high enough concentrations for effective use on the battlefield. During World War II, some Japanese soldiers were equipped with glass bottles of a stabilized hydrogen cyanide compound.[2] It is not known to what extent these chemical weapons were used, or what effects they had against Allied forces in the Pacific theater. Because the chemical ingredients for making hydrogen cyanide are relatively accessible, terrorists might utilize this agent to attack localized targets. For example, in May 1995, members of the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo cult left a "binary" chemical bomb in a Tokyo subway restroom that was designed to generate hydrogen cyanide gas. Fortunately, the device was deactivated before it inflicted any casualties.[3] Other evidence obtained from the October 2001 arrest of Ahmed Ressam, convicted in April 2001 for plotting to detonate a bomb at the Los Angeles International Airport, revealed that al-Qai'da operatives had received training in employing cyanide against buildings, apparently by combining powdered cyanide with acid. According to Ressam, other plans included using a form of liquid cyanide that would be applied to doorknobs. He stated at the trial, "the poison would go through the skin and kill you."[4] It is not clear how this material was prepared. Whether delivered as a gas (HCN) or a salt (-CN), cyanide forms an inhibitory complex with the cellular enzyme cytochrome oxidase and blocks the normal utilization of oxygen by tissues, causing death. The lethal inhaled dose of HCN is 50 milligrams (mg), and the ingested dose of either potassium or sodium cyanide is 200-300 mg.[5] About 100 mg of HCN liquid on the skin is reportedly fatal for most adults.[6] The median lethal concentration (LCt50) of hydrogen cyanide (inhaled) is estimated to be approximately 5 grams-min/m3 (versus about 11 grams for another blood agent, cyanogen chloride). In industry, hydrogen cyanide has been produced by a number of methods, including synthesis from ammonia and carbon monoxide.[7] It can also be generated by mixing cyanide salts with acid and is the basis for the gas chamber method used to execute prisoners in some U.S. states. HCN is listed in Schedule 3 of the Chemical Weapons Convention annex of controlled chemicals. In addition, cyanide salts (e.g., sodium cyanide) are included in the voluntary export control list developed by the Australia Group.
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Potassium ferrocyanide [K4Fe(CN)6] or Sodium ferrocyanide [Na4Fe(CN)6] Potassium or sodium ferrocyanide is a lemon-yellow colored, crystalline solid used worldwide in a variety of products, such as the manufacture of oil paints, carbonized steel, and some pharmaceuticals.[1] Although it contains cyanide, the toxicity of either potassium or sodium ferrocyanide is quite low in mammals. For oral ingestion in the rat, the median lethal dose for either salt is over 6 grams per kilogram body weight.[2] In earlier studies, for example, dogs injected intravenously with half a gram (500 milligrams [mg]) of sodium ferrocyanide per kilogram of body weight demonstrated no observable toxicity or even abnormal kidney function.[3] Sodium or potassium ferrocyanide is commonly encountered as an anti-caking agent for table salt, and its intake is generally allowed at levels less than 20 mg per kilogram dry weight of product.[4] Toxic fumes, however, can be generated from ferrocyanide salts by the addition of acid or by heating to very high temperatures. Sources:
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