Chemical Terrorism

Chemical warfare agents are typically liquid and are sprayed, releasing the substances as aerosols into the environment. They are predominantly invisible, odourless, and relatively easy to produce. Conspiracy theories have long warned that they could be employed as weapons of mass destruction by unscrupulous groups or governments. They could be used for genocide, ethnic cleansing, or as leverage to gain world domination. Even though these scenarios may seem exaggerated, the potential for terror should not be underestimated: In 1995, the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo cult carried out a nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subway, resulting in 12 deaths and over 5000 injuries.