September 16, 2002 -- WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence officials fear that Saddam Hussein has concocted a doomsday plan that would use al Qaeda to attack America with Iraqi-provided biological weapons, The Post has learned.
The threat has been raised in secret intelligence assessments provided to top military officials and White House policymakers as they prepare for war, administration officials told The Post.

The officials came up with the nightmare scenario - which could include easily concealed briefcase bio-bombs - after concluding that Saddam has few options available to him once U.S. attacks begin. They're convinced his military would crumble and he'd face serious internal challenges from powerful Sunni Muslim tribal chiefs and a majority of his population.

The wild card in Pentagon invasion scenarios is Saddam's weapons of mass destruction, military officials say.

Faced with a war that would bring down his regime, the Butcher of Baghdad, they fear, will fire chemical or biological warheads on U.S. bases in the region, as well as at Israel, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Even more chilling, Saddam could provide al Qaeda or other terror groups with easy-to-conceal biological agents that could be smuggled into U.S. and Israeli cities - once he sees a serious American military build-up, officials said.

"This is what we are most concerned about and what we are working hardest on," said one high-ranking official.

Bio weapons configured for a terrorist attack would be small, easy to conceal and extremely difficult for the border patrol or U.S. Customs to detect.

"You're talking vials, briefcase bombs or gallon jugs. You can even do it by sending an infected suicide terrorist here," said one defense official.

For now, officials believe Saddam is treading carefully, trying to beat back the Bush administration's "regime change" policy through the United Nations and trying to deny the United States a pretext to invade.

"He no doubt regards his biological-weapons arsenal as his ace in the hole," said Peter Singer, a former Pentagon official.

Iraq is believed to have produced anthrax, botulism, carcinogenic aflatoxin and even smallpox agents in secret labs. Some experts also believe Saddam has developed a range of unconventional bombs, missile warheads and even unmanned drone aircraft to deliver these witches' brews.

The analysts base their warnings on frightening intelligence developed after the 1991 Gulf War.

In the aftermath of the fighting, Iraqi officials admitted that they had dispersed missiles with chemical and biological warheads throughout the country. Iraqi officials said they were to be have been used for retaliatory attacks on U.S. troops if the regime were to collapse or find itself unable to control Iraqi military forces.

U.S. military officials also admitted that efforts to track the locations of these weapons were, for the most part, unsuccessful.

American intelligence agencies fear that Iraq has gotten even better at hiding its weapons of mass destruction.

U.S. intelligence officials say there is no evidence to date that Saddam has given terrorists biological weapons.

The issue was also raised by former President Bill Clinton in an appearance with David Letterman last week.

"If he's got these stocks of chemical and biological weapons and he knows he's toast, don't you think he'll use what he can and give away what he can't to people who will be using them against us for years to come so he can have the last laugh?" Clinton said.

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What no mask for your girlfriend?

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Regardless of the delivery system and all the arguments
about us not even knowing until it to late, in the
event of a Bio attack.
I have extra gas masks and filters for the wife
and I as well as 10 cartridges each.
Also those iodine pills, 30 gallons of water stashed,
canned food and a shit load of ammo ready to be
thrown into the car at a moments notice.
A closet is ready to be sealed in the event we decide
to stay until everyone is dead on the highways.

I have been this ready for a long time. I don't think it
will happen here. But if I still lived in New York ?
I would be worried.

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hey there ilikelegs, you mentioned sealing off a closet?  How would one do that?  I have a closet i would run to in event of bio/gas attack, what did you have in mind?

thanks
lostwildcat

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One of the biggest problems with biological weapons is the delivery system.  The article mentions chemicals carried in jugs and vials.  In concentrated form, yes, this stuff is nasty, but it would require a very effective delivery system and a whole lot of it to take out a city.  Pouring a vial into a city's resevoir is what spy novels are made of.  I'd worry more of confined areas like subways.

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Everyone was buying the Post yesterday for that story.  Hopefully he won't be able to bring the fight to us, but I suspect it'll happen.  Gasmask anyone?