Threats of Nuclear Terrorism: An Overview

Byline: Tahir M Azad - Email: tahir_azadpk@yahoo.com Nuclear terrorism is a frightening possibility but it is not inevitable or imminent, and there is no logical progression from truck bombs to nuclear bombs. The risk of a complete nuclear device falling into the hands of terrorists seems to be impossible. The argument in this regard is that the nuclear weapons cannot be developed from mere availability of the radioactive materials like Uranium. The natural Uranium (U-238) has to be enriched before using it as a fissile material to make a bomb. The enrichment process is an extremely complex and costly task, which can be undertaken only by the states and large-scale commercial enterprises. On the other hand, Plutonium (Pu-239), which is also used as a fissile material to make a nuclear device, does not exist in nature and separated from Uranium through a chemical process. It requires a reactor besides advanced technology to execute the process of separation.