Suicide Bombers and the “Microbe Mule”

By Paul Purcell

Given the fact that numerous terrorist organizations have indicated an interest in biological warfare, and given the fact that many have also made attempts to gather radioactive material for the creation of a “dirty bomb,” it stands to reason that one threat we may face might be a combination of the two concepts.

One such scenario is that of a terrorist who is intentionally infected overseas with a virulent disease and brought over here before becoming symptomatic, in order to smuggle in a disease in much the same way a “drug mule” smuggles drugs.  Before becoming non-ambulatory, and after acting as a "Petri dish on the hoof," providing infectious bodily fluids for bioweapons (via other methods of dispersal), we may see such an individual perpetrate a suicide bombing.

No terrorist would want to die in a sick-bed, and a suicide bombing in a crowd where survivors would be exposed to infectious bodily fluids and remains would unfortunately be a perfect bio attack since authorities would most likely pay attention only to the bombing itself.

In such a bombing, the perpetrator’s bodily fluids would be turned into a fine mist and inhaled by the panicked and hyperventilating crowd of survivors, or droplets would fly into open mouths or open eyes.  Add to this the bone and other bodily fragments of the bomber acting as human shrapnel that will imbed itself into victims and it’s easy to see that the risk of disease transmission is high.

There is little to no prevention for this type of scenario other than vigilance on the part of security personnel at venues and locations where crowds gather, which may prevent a bomber from gaining access.  However, the purpose of this short article isn’t prevention, but to discuss the follow-up steps that should be taken by first responders, law enforcement, medical personnel, and coroners or medical examiners in the wake of a suicide bombing.

Indicators the bombing might involve a biological element:

A. Witnesses who saw the bomber before detonation describe him as “looking ill.”
B. No shrapnel in the bomb (to leave survivors).
C. A lesser explosive charge than expected (big enough to obliterate the bomber, but small enough to leave infected survivors).
D. The bomber chooses an open area with a crowd instead of a confined area such as a bus.
E. The bomber chooses a slightly elevated position over a crowd rather than in the crowd.

Whether or not the above indicators were present, we should perform the following steps:

1. Treat the scene as an extreme biohazard.
2. All remaining bits of the bomber should be gathered and screened for infectious disease.
3. Collect contact information from uninjured witnesses for the purpose of later medical treatment and/or ring vaccination, as they may have been infected by airborne droplets.
4. Follow up with all injured survivors for the same reason.

These simple steps might be all that is necessary to prevent a biological sneak-attack from succeeding.  The one missing step though, is to make these first four steps SOP among all involved parties. 

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Paul Purcell is a security analyst and preparedness consultant with over twenty years risk management experience.  He’s also the author of “Disaster Prep 101.”  More information can be found at http://www.disasterprep101.com.