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Revista del Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos n.º 12 - Año: 2018 - Págs.: 273 a 298 281 Enrique Arias Gil The future of nuclear terrorism in individual terrorist... mujāhidīn) with another 12 million “illegal” aliens in America with a nuclear bomb in the trunk of their car’28. Cantlie concludes his article by stating that ‘Perhaps such a scenario is far-fetched but it’s the sum of all fears for Western intelligence agencies and it’s infinitely more possible today than it was just one year ago’29. MEANS BY WHICH A LONE WOLF OR INDIVIDUAL TERRORIST WOULD SEEK TO CARRY OUT A NUCLEAR OR RADIOLOGICAL ATTACK According to Dr Garrido Rebolledo, there are essentially three nuclear terrorism scenarios: firstly, ‘the theft and dispersal of fissile material suitable for the manufacture of a rudimentary nuclear device and its detonation in a densely populated city’. Se-condly, ‘the theft of a radioactive source for medical or industrial use and its dispersal by explosion or by or any other means’. And thirdly, ‘an attack or sabotage using con-ventional explosives (or any other means)’ on a nuclear power plant in order to cause enough damage to trigger an uncontrolled radiation emission30. Radiological Dispersal Devices (RDDs) Radiological Dispersal Devices (RDDs) would undoubtedly be the most viable method for both a terrorist organisation and lone wolf to use. An RDD is a device used to disperse radioactive material with the intention of causing as much physical, psychological and economic damage as possible. The best known method is the dirty bomb, ‘comprised of radioactive material that is dispersed (through a conventional explosive) over a more or less large area (for example, a city)’31 32 33. The second method is the dispersion of radioactive material over a specific area by another means (from the air, drinking water sources, etc.). It should be pointed out that the isotopes that pose the greatest health risk because of their potential use in an RDD can be found in widely-used commercial radioacti-ve sources: cancer treatments, food sterilisation and industrial and scientific research 28  Ibid., p. 77. 29  Ibid., p. 77. 30  See Garrido, op. cit., p. 5. 31  See Corrales, op. cit., p. 27. 32  See Ferguson and Potter, op. cit., pp. 259-283. 33  COLELLA, Mike, THOMSON, Stuart, MACINTOSH, Steven and LOGAN, Mike. An introduction to radiological terrorism, The Australian Journal of Emergency Management, Vol. 20 No, 2 (May), Australia, 2005, pp. 9-12 and 14.


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