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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 303.6250973
EAN num: 9781591022527
ISBN number: 1591022525
Label: Prometheus Books
Manufacturer: Prometheus Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 261
Printing Date: June 01, 2004
Publishing house: Prometheus Books
Sale Popularity Level: 330855
Studio: Prometheus Books
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Does Osama bin Laden have nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction? If so, where are they? Are they in the hands of al Qaeda sleeper cells in the United States? Should Americans be bracing for a nuclear attack? Former consultant for the FBI an organised crime and international terrorism and a seasoned investigative reporter, Paul L. Williams reveals the potential for nuclear terrorism on US soil in this shocking expose. Based on the findings of US, Israeli, Pakistani, and British intelligence, Williams describes how the theft of tactical nuclear weapons from Russian arsenals have in all likelihood made their way to al Qaeda cells throughout the United States in preparation for the subsequent terrorist attack. Williams presents clear evidence showing that, in the chaos following the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Chechen Mafia got its hands on portable Russian nuclear weapons.Between 1996 and 2001, Mafia members negotiated the sale of twenty nuclear 'suitcase bombs' to representatives of Osama bin Laden. Far worse than so-called 'dirty bombs', each suitcase bomb is capable of killing millions of Americans while exposing millions more to deadly radioactive fallout. According to Williams, reliable sources indicate that these bombs may already be in the possession of al Qaeda operatives in such major cities as New York, Washington, Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas, Houston, and Los Angeles.In addition, bin Laden has recruited former Soviet scientists and technicians to maintain these weapons and recharge their nuclear cores so that they may be deployed immediately on his command. In 2001, he issued a statement boasting of his intent to have America experience a 'Hiroshima'. Also included in the book are bin Laden's 'Letters to America' and his 'Declaration of War Against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places', as well as the World Islamic Statement declaring 'Jihad against Jews and Crusaders'.These crucial documents highlight the rationale behind and the depth of bin Laden's hatred for the United States. Moreover, Williams documents that Osama has the international network of embedded terrorists to carry out his threats. Although the media have reported on some of these threatening developments and government insiders have acknowledged the threat of nuclear attack, until now no one has put all the pieces together in a coherent, nonsense way. Williams makes a persuasive case that bin Laden and his deputies have the motive and the means and are just waiting for the opportunity to launch an apocalyptic attack on the 'Great Satan' of America.
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Rated by buyers 
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Williams begins with a several page cogent statement by bin Laden summarizing why he is against America, and the actions required for him to cease. Reasons include support for Israel, and occupation on Muslim lands, but nothing about Bush's "they don't like freedom."
Osama went to Afghanistan, according to Williams, partly because of its potential for funding terrorism via opium sales. Sales to the U.S. would not only provide money for his efforts, but also weaken the U.S. and help convince others that the U.S. is a corrupt society.
Money, however, is only an enabler. The much bigger issue involves what Osama has/could do with large amounts of money. According to Williams, a number of Soviet "suitcase bombs" are missing - though various sources disagree on what that number is (30-80 is the most credible figure). Worse yet, a number of them were already smuggled into the U.S. and secreted by the Soviets during the Cold War.
What exactly is a "suitcase bomb?" From various sources it is contended that they began weighing 800 lbs, then were reduced to 320 lbs, and in their last version - only 60 lbs. Explosive power ranges from 10-250 tons, to 1-10 kilotons. The Hiroshima bomb was 13 kilotons, and the Oklahoma City bomb was an estimated .2 tons).
bin Laden reportedly purchased twenty nuclear suitcases in Grozny in 1996 for $30 million in cash and two tons of heroin, and intends to explode 6-7 simultaneously in the U.S.
So why hasn't he done it? Williams (and other sources) state that the suitcases' nuclear triggers would quickly deteriorate to uselessness in about four months. That's the "good news."
The "bad news" is that through expertise provided by Dr. Khan (father of Pakistan's bomb), and the resources of Iran's and/or Pakistan's nuclear reactors, the triggers could be replaced.
Again the obvious question: "What are we doing in Iraq?"
Rated by buyers 
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Williams' thesis is that Al Qaeda used the enormous profits of its heroin and opium operations to purchase several "suitcase" nuclear weapons from Russian criminals. The suitcase nukes, which are hard to maintain, have supposedly been made ready for use by rogue Russian and Pakistani scientists. Worse yet, claims Williams, these weapons have already been deployed to Al Qaeda terrorist cells in several major cities in the United States, ready for an "American Hiroshima" that will kill upwards of 4 million Americans and devastate the world's economy.
Williams' claims are sensational, and they must be taken with a large grain of salt. His chapter notes show that Williams relied on newspaper articles, internet sources and rumour rather than privileged acess to military intelligence. And the proposition that nuclear weapons are in the hands of Islamists begs a couple of key questions: why haven't they been used against the Russians, who have many mortal enemies in Chechnya? For that matter. why haven't they already been detonated in America, Europe, Iraq or Afghanistan?
Williams hints at some possible answers. Perhaps Al Qaeda has the weapons, but they are unreliable and difficult to maintain. Perhas bin Laden is just waiting for the right anniversary date--say, an October 7 (the start of the war in Afghanistan), or a January 15 (the start of the First Gulf War), or even a November 27 (the anniversary of Pope Urban's call for crusade in 1095). Above all, Williams argues, bin Laden and al Qaeda are patient--the fact that a nuclear weapon hasn't gone off yet is no comfort that al Qaeda isn't working hard to make it happen.
Another possibility is that al Qaeda understands that the nuclear destruction of one or more American cities could very easily lead to a savage retaliation by the United States. Even bin Laden may be unwilling to pick the ultimate fight with an adversary that is equipped with a large arsenal of thermonuclear warheads. In the face of an "American Hiroshima," I suspect that the American public and its leaders would be very hard to restrain, and that possibility may give pause even to a fanatic.
Still, the threat of nuclear terrorism is so dangerous that it has to be taken seriously. Imagine a single nuclear weapon exploding in Long Beach, which handles a huge proportion of the imports coming into the United States--apart from the tragic and enormous loss of life, the world economy (not just America's) would be plunged into a depression overnight.
For a more plausible but equally disturbing take on the nuclear threat, read Graham Allison's "Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe." Allison's argument is that the real nuclear threat comes from unprotected stockpiles of enriched uranium 235 in the former Soviet Union. The Bush Administration has drastically cut the funding for programs that were intended to secure these stockpiles, and Allison makes a very cogent argument that the war in Iraq has distracted the United States from the critical task of keeping Russian uranium out of the hands of terrorists. If a nuclear weapon does explode in the US, it may very well be a U-235 fission device (like the bomb dropped on Hiroshima) delivered by containership to a major port (Long Beach, New Orleans, Houston, Boston, or New York). Remember, U-235 weapons are so well understood and reliable that the one dropped on Hiroshima was not even tested--it was the much trickier plutonium implosion bomb that was the subject of the famous July 1945 test at Alamagordo. In 1945, the problem with a U-235 bomb was that it took an entire year to make enough enriched uranium for just one bomb--the Russians have solved that problem for al Qaeda and have left tons of material in scores of poorly proected sites.
And just in case you sleep well at night thinking that the Department of Homeland Security will be able to protect us from this nuclear threat and its aftermath--well, just consider the Bush Administration's recent performance in the face of Hurricane Katrina.
Rated by buyers 
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What a bull crock of BS this book is. Something else written/invented to make people deliberately afraid.
What BS! If the Chechen Mafia had such things they would have already used them against Russia because
of their hatred for Russia. Williams is trying to sell the idea that the USA is going to have to worry?
Boy have I got a bridge to sell you. Fear mongering propaganda at its best! It really makes me wonder
who's agenda is being served promoting this tripe.
Some things to consider:
(1) The Russians are not stupid people to allow compromise of
their weapons.
(2.) The Chechens would have long ago deployed such a weapon if
they had one, and they have good reason to.
(3) Osama would have already used such a weapon against the US,
Britain,Canada, Spain or Poland
(4) The Russian mafia is not stupid either since they live in
Russia. Why would they want to destroy their own base of
operation?
(5) Islamic people living in 'oil rich provinces' along the Southern boarder of China near Afganistan
have as much reason to hate China because of the oppression they experienced.While China
was busy stealing rich Oil land the US looked the other way as the coalition of US led forces
moved into Afganistan.
This author must spend too much time in reading Steven Spiel-burg's stuff or he has been
a peyote vision quest that has resulted in full blowen paranoia.
I like what one critic of this book so aptly stated ...
"As for them owning 12 suitcase bombs, that's a well exaggerated figure
and could only be proposed by someone infected with delusion on a Michael Moore scale. "
Well Henny Pennythe sky is not falling.
I would suggest that if you are looking for a really good read on nuclear scare themes
go buy the book "TOMMOROW" or TRIUMPH by Philip Wylie. At least you know you are
buying a novel written by a great writer. Williams makes you think you are buying facts
that can be believed. Williams, Michael Moore and CNN do have much in common.
Rated by buyers 
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This work is valuable in that it presents the evil ideology of Bin- Laden. If you are not a Closed- Minded Fanatic Believer in Islam , if you believe in individual freedom and choice then you deserve according to the Bin- Laden ideology to be exterminated. Only if you think exactly the way this narrow maniac thinks do you have a right to breathe on this earth.
For presenting a detailed picture of the Bin- Laden ideology this book is commendable.
As to the military- threat scenarios I think that after 9/11 there is not a sane person in the world who can say that ' great disaster' might not come again. It very well might. And there are an incredible number of directions and places from which it might come.
I do not however think that it can come from suitcase nuclear weapons of the former Soviet Union. The fact is we know of no such device being operable. And as another writer on Amazon has rightly said the fact that it has not happened yet is strong evidence that it will not happen. And there is one clear reason for this. Terrorists tend to aim to do the maximum amount of destruction they are capable of at any given time. They do not delay. If they could have done it they probably would have done it.
This again does not mean the West and the United States especially is not under greater threat than before. Since 9/ 11 there are many more Islamic terrorists in the world with one or another variant of a Bin- Laden like ideology.
There are too it is well to remember other kinds of dangers, especially the WMD threats presented by nations like North Korea and Iran.
It may well be that the threats mentioned in this work are not the real and the dangerous ones. But again no one can know with certainty where the subsequent Evil may come from.
Whether the Intelligence services of the Western world will be ahead of the terrorists is not certain. Rather that is something to be worked for by them, and prayed for by the rest of us.
Rated by buyers -
This is a very short book, with a dramatic message. On the surface, it looks like an endeavor to convince US voters that 9/11 was just the beginning of their problems. Quoting bin Laden 'videos', Williams convincingly claims Osama bin Laden wants non-Muslims dead and has nuclear bombs to accomplish that goal. The fear factor is very high.
After more reflection, the book reminds me of a blackmail note. Just as a blackmailer, Williams attacks the American reader's self-confidence at every opportunity. Mr. bin Laden is super-human, while the American government weak and corrupt. Osama knows all our weaknesses, and solves problems beyond our skills. For the poor people of Afghanistan, he build hospitals, roads and shelters. He sells heroin to Europe and America, but his puritanical comrades avoid the stuff themselves. The Afghan heroin funds his nuclear projects and simultaneously undermines the western will. In contrast, the stupid American generals run up and down the mountain sides looking for Osama in all the wrong places. The corrupt US government has turned Pakistani and Afghan friendship into a deep seated hate for all things American. Defended by the billions of Osama loving Muslims around the world, it is obvious the US Army can never catch him. Offering the reader a measure of pity, Williams provides instructions on converting to Islam.
This sort of paper thin caricature does nothing to educate and much to demoralize.
It is probably best to act as if Osama has nukes in America, but I don't think it is a reality. Osama's nuclear attack is only believable if 1) the bombs were available for purchase, 2) are now in the US and 3) still work. Even with the plutonium, obtaining active tritium gas would be very difficult. Keeping them refreshed with tritium gas is not easy; it leaks, gets absorbed and decays. Still a few fresh ones may be around. On the other hand, a variety of reports suggest similar economic damage can be done with a few suicide bombs set off at key gas and electrical nodes around the US. If one wants to catalog the catastrophic, nuclear briefcases are not the worst or most likely. In short, Osama doesn't need a nuke, except perhaps for the media carnival that would follow. And, the media would make a killing on the event. Imagine the network anchors crawling around the rubble and think about how long they would smirk about the disaster.
As I write in early 2005, the panic over Osama-nukes is about a year old, and has faded from the foreground of media coverage. That panic, probably part of the US political campaign cycle, is the source from which the book emerges. Wondering who Mr. Williams might be and what motivates him, I checked for other titles he has penned:
The Vatican Exposed: Money, Murder, and the Mafia (May 1, 2003)
Al-Qaeda : Brotherhood of Terror (February 8, 2002)
The Complete Idiot's Guide(R) to the Crusades (October 18, 2001)
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Lives of the Saints (June 26, 2001)
Mr. Williams has a Ph.D. in historical theology and served as professor of Catholic theology and patristics (study of lives of Church Fathers) at two Catholic Universities. Despite the dust-cover claims, this isn't really the background of a journalist or FBI consultant. Perhaps the stress of writing 'lives of the saints' for 'idiots' was too much for him.
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