Suitcase Nukes Said Unlikely to Exist

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Suitcase Nukes Said Unlikely to Exist

Saturday November 10, 2007 4:31 PM

By KATHERINE SHRADER

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Members of Congress have warned
about the dangers of suitcase nuclear weapons.
Hollywood has made television shows and movies about
them. Even the Federal Emergency Management Agency
has alerted Americans to a threat - information the
White House includes on its Web site.

But government experts and intelligence officials say
such a threat gets vastly more attention than it
deserves. These officials said a true suitcase nuke
would be highly complex to produce, require significant
upkeep and cost a small fortune.

Counterproliferation authorities do not completely rule
out the possibility that these portable devices once
existed. But they do not think the threat remains.

“The suitcase nuke is an exciting topic that really
lends itself to movies,” said Vahid Majidi, the
assistant director of the FBI's Weapons of Mass
Destruction Directorate. “No one has been able to
truly identify the existence of these devices.”

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7067083,00.html

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. They exist in the minds of the feeble and stupid. Like all the rest

of the terrorist scare crap they have pushed on us for the last 6 years.

[Amonester]

2. If these "special FX" stunts would even be possible for real...

there's no question one or two psychopaths who, for example, get off blowing frogs (or troops) up would have found a way to use one or two of 'em a long time ago...

N'est-ce pas, 007?

[rooboy]

3. I know someone who was involved in nuclear treaties etc...

and they said to me years ago that if these suitcase nukes exist, they almost certainly wouldn't work. As the article points out, they require so much maintenance terrorists wouldn't be able to use them.

[Warpy]

4. It's long been pointed out that "suitcase" refers to their

relatively small size. It would still take a heavy duty forklift to pick them up and carry them.

In addition, any that fell into the wrong hands nearly 20 years ago after the breakup of the USSR will likely have their triggers decayed well beyond usability.

The bomb needs maintenance to keep it operational, maintenance it's unlikely to get outside of the military.