The arrest and detention of alleged dirty bomber Abdullah Al Mujahir, formerly known as Jose Padilla, sent waves of shock throughout the country. The threat posed by the possible use of a radiological dispersal device remains serious, and a threat for which the United States government and its people are not adequately prepared. In the days since Attorney General Ashcroft's dramatic announcement, however, it is less clear how direct the link is between Padilla and the possible use of a radioactive device. White House and FBI officials were reportedly taken aback by the strength with which Ashcroft linked Padilla to an acute dirty bomb threat, and have since softened the intensity of their allegations.

USA Today reported on June 11 that Ashcroft's ominous tone surprised the White House and law enforcement officials here and abroad, including some who had tracked Al Muhajir to meetings with al-Qaeda officials in Pakistan. Authorities say that the evidence against Al Mujahir, 31, indicated he was interested in many scenarios involving explosives - radioactive materials being only one possibility among several. As the USA Today story noted ". . . any plans involving radiation were not as mature as Ashcroft suggested." Deputy Defense Secretary Wolfowitz also echoed this sentiment in his appearance on CBS on Tuesday, stating "I don't think there was actually a plot beyond some fairly loose talk."

In protecting the United States, the government has to walk a fine line between protecting its citizens and preventing, when possible, attacks against our vital interests. But it also has a responsibility to be accurate and precise in its pronouncements to a nervous and shaken country. No one should doubt that nuclear materials are vulnerable to theft and use as a radiological bomb. No one should doubt that there are individuals and groups interested in using these materials against the United States and its interests. Many experts are surprised that we have not already been the victims of just such an attack. But it is important that the details regarding Padilla's alleged interest in, and access to, radiological materials be shared, within the limits of national security, with the American people. They have a right to know the extent and nature of the threats facing them. If, as some reports indicate, the Justice Department has exaggerated the nature of the link between Padilla and a dirty bomb, then it needs to re-calibrate its tone and approach

Related Resources

"Threat of Dirty Bomb Softened" USA Today 11 June 2002

Transcript of the Attorney General John Ashcroft Regarding the transfer of Abdullah Al Muhajir (Born Jose Padilla) To the Department of Defense as an Enemy Combatant, U.S. Department of Justice, 10 June 2002

What is a Dirty Bomb?- From Deadly Arsenals: Tracking Weapons of Mass Destuction

"Dirty Bombs and Basement Nukes: The Terrorist Nuclear Threat," Statment by Henry Kelly, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 6 March 2002

"Dirty Bombs and Basement Nukes: The Terrorist Nuclear Threat" Statement by Senator Joseph Biden, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 6 March 2002