TweetTwo additional matters involving suspicious white powder on Thursday kept Portland, Oregon, hazmat teams occupied, with both situations involving letters labeled with the word “anthrax.” A total of six letters containing a threat and a harmless substance have been discovered … Read More

TweetIn an editorial for Ground Report, a former U.S. soldier and infantryman asks if the chemical weapons cache in Syria may be used by the Assad regime or be stolen away by al-Qaeda forces. Robert Tilford, a former soldier and … Read More

TweetThe South Korean Ministry of National Defense announced on Friday that The United States and Korea will hold an anti-biological terrorism simulation this week. The simulation, which is called the Able Response 12, will involve 50 U.S. and Korean government … Read More

TweetA Nashville neurosurgeon was taken off of a Carnival cruise after an imposter account on Twitter posted a message that the doctor was planning to commit a bioterrorist attack. Jack Kruse was planning to speak to the passengers of a … Read More

TweetBioFlow, a new handheld biological threat detection system, may help first responders to identify biological threats on site, including anthrax, bacterial agents, viruses and clinical markers. The device, currently under development at The Mitre Corporation’s Bio-Nano Laboratory, may effectively save … Read More

TweetA suspicious powder found in an envelope on the third floor of the Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, Ore., on Tuesday was found to be harmless after the floor was evacuated for precautionary measures. The envelope, which was found in … Read More

TweetThe U.S. National Institutes of Health released a response on Friday to internal criticism about how two controversial H5N1 avian influenza transmissibility papers were handled. Michael Osterholm, a member of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, criticized the proceedings … Read More

TweetAs the uprising in Syria continues to wrest control of the country away from Bashar al-Assad, the nations of the world are concerned about who will gain control of a secret stockpile of chemical weapons. Syria is one of eight … Read More

TweetThe Japan Ministry of Defense has ordered 19 AbleSentry systems from the Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin to provide early warning and detection of potential nuclear, biological or chemical attacks. The AbleSentry is a system designed for tactical battlefields that can … Read More

TweetRadical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in a September drone attack in Yemen, was featured in al-Qaeda’s English language magazine advising followers to launch attacks against Western countries. The Inspire article was called “Targeting the Populations of Countries at … Read More

TweetPfenex, Inc., a protein production company, announced on Tuesday that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority has exercised an option to extend its contract with Pfenex to develop a recombinant protective antigen from anthrax. BARDA is a division of … Read More

TweetDutch government officials have approved an export license for Ron Fouchier, allowing the virologist to submit his controversial H5N1 transmissibility paper to the journal Science. The study details how Fouchier and his team developed an H5N1 virus that was transmissible … Read More

TweetA man has been taken into custody after he filmed himself mailing a suspicious package on Milwaukee’s lower east side and notified multiple media outlets on Saturday. The man said that the envelope, addressed to the Department of Workforce Development, … Read More

TweetThe Senate Homeland Security Committee held a hearing on Thursday on the subject of dual-use research amid the growing concern that such research could be used for the purposes of bioterrorism. Worries have grown in recent years about dual-use research, … Read More

TweetJamie Shea, the deputy assistant secretary of NATO, said on Wednesday that governments need to make sure that they do not lose the anti-terrorism technologies created during military deployments in Afghanistan. Shea spoke to delegates on the subject at the … Read More

TweetThe Counter Terror Expo 2012, a premier event for private and public sector professionals who ensure effective responses against terrorism threats, returns for its fourth year on Wednesday and Thursday at the London Olympia. CTX 2012 is the only event … Read More

TweetAn anthrax outbreak in the Upper East region of Ghana has led to two deaths after the victims consumed a dead animal that may have been infected with the deadly disease. The incident occurred in the community of Googo. Thomas … Read More

TweetA Miami Gardens, Florida, man charged with mailing threatening letters that contained powder to the Broward County Courthouse and the Broward Sheriff’s office was ordered held without bail on Friday. Tarvess David Taylor was arrested after investigators found forensic evidence … Read More

TweetThe U.S. Navy has taken major steps against biological weapons by launching an effort to equip sailors more effectively for biological and chemical warfare. A decade ago, a Navy crew would only know if it had been infected with a … Read More

TweetMore than 10 years since the first anthrax mail attack against the media and the U.S. Senate, there were 383 incidents in which suspicious and potentially dangerous mail were sent to the Senate in 2011. Terrance Gainer, the Senate Sergeant … Read More

TweetThe chairman of the subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications questioned witnesses on Tuesday during a subcommittee hearing centered on medical countermeasures. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) asked James Polk and Edward Gabriel why the guidelines for protecting first responders … Read More

TweetOfficials with the Department of Homeland Security told a panel from the National Research Council on Friday that an animal research lab proposed for Kansas is necessary despite scarce federal funds. During a public hearing in Washington, Undersecretary Tara O’Toole … Read More

TweetAli al-Dabbagh, an Iraqi government spokesman, announced on Thursday that Iraq has accepted a request from Libya to aid in destroying Tripoli’s chemical weapons. Mohammad Jibril, Libya’s representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, requested that Iraq … Read More

TweetA blue-ribbon panel at the National Research Council began a study on Friday to determine possible alternatives to the controversial National Bio & Agro-Defense Facility. The study began during the committee’s first public meeting on the subject last Friday. The … Read More

TweetTom Vilsack, the U.S. agriculture secretary, said on Tuesday that the construction of the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility should move forward and that it is important to ensure a safe and adequate food supply. Vilsack spoke about the facility … Read More

TweetA policy created by the federal government to regulate the oversight of life sciences dual-use research has addressed the controversy over the publication of two H5N1 avian flu experiments but has also raised questions. The policy, which was released on … Read More

TweetSecurity services in Russia confirmed on Monday that a capsule believed to contain sarin, an extremely toxic nerve agent, has been discovered in the county’s Bryansk region. Reports over the weekend quoted local ecological organizations as saying that residents of … Read More

TweetAccording to Iowa officials, the white powder that led to a lockdown of the Iowa Statehouse on Tuesday was actually the calcium carbonate, a common antacid. Brian O’Keefe, a Des Moines Fire Department spokesman, said on Thursday that tests determined … Read More

TweetFirst responders from the St. Louis County Health Department and 17 other departments from Illinois and Missouri participated in a biological attack drill on Thursday. The health officials tested their response to a wide spread biohazard, particularly how effectively they … Read More

TweetAccording to public safety officials and lawmakers, an incident in which white powder spilled from an envelope opened on the floor of the Iowa House was not handled properly. While the powder was later determined not to be anthrax or … Read More