Jonathan B. Tucker and Amy Sands

About the author: Jonathan B. Tucker directs the CBW (Chemical and Biological Weapons) Nonproliferation Project at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, which is part of the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. He has written a few books, including Toxic Terror: Assessing Terrorist Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons. Amy Sands is the Associate Director of the Center and director of its Monitoring Proliferation Threats Project.

Despite the few instances in recent years of terrorists employing biological and chemical weapons, it is an extremely uncommon phenomenon. The history of terrorist activities over the last several decades indicates that most extremist groups have neither the motivation nor capabilities to employ such weapons. Examining historical incidents indicates that terrorists seem to prefer...