CBRNe April2021vPress:CBRNevPress29/04/202118:12Page24 24 L CBRNe WORLD CBRNe for ‘whodunnit’ and that is Reverend is that and ‘whodunnit’ for hunt the in forgotten often character other one Yetis lights. there guiding these of more or one on touch that issues on focusing this, of guilty equally at We actors. state well-established or fundamentalists, Muslim lunatics, supremacists, right-wing of tropes established the all Russia, of Force Red Miss or Khorasan of flags black his with Gas Crazy,Mustard Plum Colonel Professor Supremacist, White Mrs be could It be. Intothe green CBRNeWORLD CBRNe Convergence, Orlando, USA, 2-4 November 2021 www.cbrneworld.com/events/cbrne-convergence-orlando 2021 November 2-4 USA, Orlando, Convergence, CBRNe perpetrators of a CBRN attack will attack CBRN a of perpetrators the who know we think we Cluedo, of game giant a ike Americarecently saw an upsurge in right wing extremism, but this is not the only group out there wanting to cause trouble “They send us a message that they can take whatever they want. they whatever take can they that message a us send “They Affiliate with the Unconventional Weapons and Technology Division of the National Consortium for Consortium National the of Division Technology and Weapons Unconventional the with Affiliate But we will send them a message. That this… this is our land!” our is this this… That message. a them send will we But Dr. Philipp C. Bleek Associate Professor in the Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies Program at Program Studies Terrorism and Nonproliferation the in Professor Associate Bleek C. Philipp Dr. the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and Zachary Kallenborn, Research Kallenborn, Zachary and Monterey at Studies International of Institute Middlebury the the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, talk to Gwyn Winfield about eco-radicals about Winfield Gwyn to talk Terrorism, to Responses and Terrorism of Study the April 2021 April CBRNe WorldCBRNe are (CBRN)Weapons Biological,Radiological, Nuclearand EnvironmentalismChemical,and AvatarsBleek-Earth: theRadicalof KallenbornZakpaperby Philippand thingswriteabout,foundtothiswe Ed.]. etc. Orchid Dr had instead and Cluedo/Clue of version traditional the with up grow didn’t who those all to [Apologies Activism Green enjoy a podcastsame.theenjoyaon Taylora Francisandsubscription can environmentalterrorists pursueto motivationscapabilitiesand of Essentiallypapertheexamines the In the processthelookingInofnew for Jake Sully,AvatarJake 1 [Those of you without[Thoseyouof 2 Ed.]. GermansfloodedPontinethe Marshes extremelybe attractive them.to capabilitiesethos,andotherswell may especiallynuclear, beyondareboththeir CBRNweapons. Whileelementsthese, of mosquitovectorsinfect,goingareto and environmentalan crime,ifand dammingmarshesoftenperceivedis as rightthedirection. Draining and pushin MotherkeenforhaveaEarth to environmentalistwouldappealanto inhabitantsAlliedandsoldiers. This malariasharpriseinamong the wellhavebeenintended,thatmay a was Alliedslowtheadvance.tosideeffect A For example,ForWorld in War Two, the www.cbrneworld.com ©DoD 3 GT5000 Terra

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possibly kill people, well, isn’t that just One of the most ‘successful’ CBRN 123, that as STUK discovered (CBRNe what we have been doing to the animals? attacks was the Rajneeshee adulteration World 2016-04) is a nightmare to clean The potential for radical of salad bars with salmonella in the up, even in small quantities. Yet, environmentalists to utilise chemical, hope of influencing an election8, a fact environmental disasters are the worst biological and radiological weapons that was not discovered for over a year. sort, and to be the group responsible for might not be national planning The aim was not solely to kill people such an act would make you a pariah. scenario #1, but so many profitable and cause terror - and the same might Are some agents beyond the pale? crops underpin the US economy, that apply for radical environmentalists. For Dr Bleek agreed it was complicated. introducing species to attack these over many radical environmentalists, all life “What Zak and I debated when we were modified plants would have a crippling is sacrosanct, and damage to the working on the paper is, could we effect on elements of the US (and environment, but making people sick imagine the eco-radicals pursuing elsewhere) economy4. These might not enough to stop them working at a lab radiological terrorism? On the one hand, be the showy attacks of the Manchester science company… maybe that’s ok? it's an incredibly effective way to deny Arena bombing, or the Westgate mall Zak Kallenborn agreed: “I think someone some set of infrastructure, as a siege, but such assaults would be that's right and it's what we've seen. little bit of radiological material is a profound, misery-inducing and Eco-radicals have tended to be more profound nightmare to clean up, but on prolonged. targeted than other terrorists, the other hand, it's precisely the thing So has the focus on religious and emphasizing specific perceived violators that's unnatural. Bacillus anthracis is a right-wing terrorists obscured a of environmental integrity and animal different version of that, it's persistent worrying, if less violent, threat from rights. A recent case was when the Stop and if you got it into a building’s groups like Deep Green Resistance5 or Huntingdon Animal Cruelty9 group ventilation system that would also be Individualists Tending towards the Wild6? sprayed a marketer in the face with acid, extraordinarily expensive to clean up. It’s Both Dr Bleek and Zak Kallenborn felt blinding them for a while. It was very all about area denial dynamics, especially that these groups weren’t about to end clearly targeted towards this particular for people who may not want to harm the world as we know it, but that they organisation because they wanted it to human beings, at least not directly.” deserve the same kind of scrutiny as stop working.” Eco-extremists are often better other terrorist groups. Philipp Bleek went along and educated than other terrorists or “They belong on the list,” said suggested that elements of CBW organised crime group members. Could Philipp Bleek. “Even though we're appealed to the radical we see them, for example, as a talking about something that either environmentalists, possibly more than chemist/biologist for hire, and that even hasn't happened or mostly hasn't to other groups. “It's often the case that though they might not use something happened, there's always the question: CBRN attacks cause fewer casualties themselves they might be prepared to ‘Who might do it in the future?’ Eco- than an equivalent investment in bombs sell it to an affiliated group? When it radicals belong on the list together with and guns. Part of the appeal of CBRN is comes to financing illegal activities, jihadists and various other religiously the symbolism, rather than mass such as terrorism, there are some motivated extremists.” destruction. Think about a plague, a options, such as bake sales, that are “That's right,” agreed Zak natural disease that is the vector for closed off to you, and so you tend to Kallenborn. “The central argument of restoring some balance in Mother find terrorist groups funding activities our paper was that we need to worry Earth. For people like Deep Green through narcotic deals. about outliers, the folks with extreme, Resistance the potential appeal lies in We know that terrorists sometimes globe-changing motivations that also the symbolism, not because it kills lots ally with other terrorists with different tend to be rare. Those outliers already of people but because of its nature. This ideological predilections. Some literature exist. We have seen them in the rise of attraction to biological weapons is partly also suggests that terrorists who pursue eco-radicalism, such as RISE’s 1979 what puts eco-radicals on the shortlist such alliances are also more likely to attempted attack on the Chicago water of actors who might possibly pose a pursue CBRN attacks10. So what about system. That was when a couple of high similar terrorism threat.” eco-radicals? Might they collaborate with school students decided they wanted to Another attraction of agents like VX right or left-wing extremists or poison it, cause mass destruction to a or bacillus anthracis is the cost and religiously-motivated terrorists? bunch of people and repopulate the time involved in cleaning up a facility. Dr Bleek suggested it was unlikely. earth with enlightened revolutionaries7. Arguably a successful attack would be “They're much more inclined to be There shouldn’t be a league table of one where the cost of cleaning, or ideological purists so I wouldn't expect outliers, because what we're talking opening a replacement facility, would them to ally very much. Also, on about is rare cases, and it doesn't really bankrupt the life science (or whatever) average we're talking about individuals matter which group’s under discussion. company that owned it. Nobody need or small groups with very, very low There are marginal differences, but to an die per se for their goals to be met. The capabilities. Some people attracted to extent it’s not important when you look ‘bang for your buck’ with this would be this milieu are, as you said, more highly at a broader scale of terrorist attacks.” radiological substances, such as caesium educated and some additional resources

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could come with that. An interesting counterfactual we thought about is; what if the Unabomber’s professorship had been in biology rather than maths? What kind of mischief could he have done? Kaszcynski wasn’t an eco-radical, but had aspects of eco-radical thinking in his broader philosophy11. “It's an interesting counterfactual and the answer is not automatically massive mischief. It's hard to make high quality bacillus anthracis and mail it out instead of package bombs. But the eco-radical milieu does draw some better educated people for sure, and on average they are a little bit better educated than some other radicalised or terrorist milieus.” Zak Kallenborn agreed: “I consider the Unabomber to fall within the eco- radical milieu, though it is a shade of grey. In some ways it makes sense to include the Unabomber with right-wing or more libertarian groups but in other ways, it makes sense to classify with eco-radicals. Historically most of the eco-radical milieu has tended be dominated with strong elements of The police need to be as aware of left wing extremists as they are of the right ©DoD leftist ideas that go along with the environmental aspects. It's not just radical groups, where they treat the is very well thought through. They're about helping the environment, it's environment as an inherent part of the drawing on US military doctrine on about preserving the equality of concept of a nation; so by defending an counterinsurgency, particularly where existence and stuff like that. There's environment you're defending the they say we endorse violence but only as been quite a bit of disagreement within nation and the people associated with part of the broader goal - it's very Deep Green Resistance over the role of it. A couple of German groups were strategic violence. They recognise that trans people and what their position blending Nazi-level right-wing ideas violence is an instrument and should be. It ended up with one of the with strong environmental ideas, in ultimately they're aiming at a bigger founders being kicked out over the that case I could definitely see a change. They have a four-part decisive issue. Trans issues are an important number of connections with other ecological warfare strategy, where they social issue, but aren’t necessarily core right-wing groups.” start out just networking and building in the eco-radical sense. One of the While not having roots as deep as awareness and then step four is Unabomber critiques of the current eco- right-wing terrorists, there is a breaking down the industrial system radical movement was that they were considerable history of terrorism with and destroying things. less close to environmentalism because eco-radicals, personified by the Animal “They also blend strong elements of they were blending these leftist social Liberation Front12 (ALF) and Earth anarchy, where ALF and ELF had very concerns with them. We haven't had Liberation Front13 (ELF). Are there more strong leftist elements, which, to return very many left-wing groups since the modern, larger groups bubbling along, to the previous point, sometimes fall of the USSR, so we could see the that people haven't heard of? Who’s who distracts from what they're doing. eco-radicals connecting with them, but in the league table of eco-radicalism? Anarchist elements are much more they’re not there. That said, if there “Historically it's been ELF and ALF,” focused on ‘let's destroy the system were more violent left-wing groups I said Zak Kallenborn. “At the moment because it isn't working.’ Given the rise could see some synergies. we're in a transition period, shifting of climate change and the attendant “When it comes to right wing away from that. The big group I bang on fears of mass harm to broad society groups, there is some potential there, about is Deep Green Resistance which I from migration movements, to rising but it's probably insignificant. find very concerning. Even though they water levels, that makes sense. Historically there have been a number haven’t engaged in violence yet I think Destroying critical infrastructure of examples of very right-wing eco- the markers are there and their strategy compared to saving all humanity fits

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with their ideology and that makes their hypothetical murder victims in 20 years’ target the industrial system and have ethos particularly concerning.” time. I saw a story in The Guardian14 done a number of bombing attacks Philipp Bleek concurred and knocking FBI law enforcement for being against nano-scientists over concerns suggested that such attacks take greater overly aggressive towards about the creation of the ‘grey goo’ [A planning and perseverance than just environmental groups, specifically hypothetical out of control nanotech bot hiring a van and ploughing into citing Deep Green Resistance. Deep that creates more and more of itself innocents. “One of the characteristics Green were saying: ‘We're a normal, until it just absorbs the planet. Ed]. that's concerning in actors is patience. perfectly fine group’. A research fellow They have made a number of attacks in A lot of terrorists are very impatient and at the Brennan Center said: ‘This is just Latin America, in Mexico as well as the willingness to be patient is really part of a pattern of behaviour where the Brazil. There's definitely activism there helpful for CBRN attacks, which is also FBI targets normal environmental and I suspect it's a different type of a concern about Deep Green Resistance. groups because they don't like them’. I activism, more about direct I can imagine a hypothetical scenario felt that as these people explicitly environmental destruction versus where it poses a more serious CBRN advocate violence, it makes total sense climate change or more abstract stuff.” threat and that would be consistent with for the FBI and law enforcement to With such a broad palette of the foundation that's being laid now. investigate them! The story made them environmental targets, from fisheries to This group has a long-term perspective, look like the good guys that are being farming, it seems like there is no part of it's willing to invest, it's thoughtful and targeted by the system and being any nation that couldn’t be targeted by strategic.” victimised. It was quite fascinating.” such groups. With the exception of Due to this need for patience and Much of the environmentalists’ isolated attacks on mink farms or group cohesion in CBRN attacks how anger is aimed at occurrences outside specialised facilities, however, these well organised are the eco-radicals the northern hemisphere, like the attacks don’t seem to happen. Is there a generally? Are they a shifting group of burning of the Pantanal in Brazil or the ranking system of concern, where ‘save the lemurs’ one week, and ‘tofu is bucolic-sounding giant Pacific garbage genetically modified organisms (GMOs), murder’ the next? Or do they have a patch15. Is there a chance as we saw with for example, tend to raise more ire than strict hierarchy with a messianic leader Daesh, that western society activists a salmon farm? Which areas or regions who is ready for the counter revolution could either travel to those regions to should be most alert to the threat from and prepared to wait? Is Deep Green cause trouble, or that they will travel these organisations? Resistance unique in this, or is it a there and become further radicalised by Philipp Bleek suggested that it model for the other groups? local groups and then return home to wasn’t that straightforward, and most “Historically most eco-radical cause outrages? importantly it should be realised that groups have been very disorganised, Dr Bleek felt it unlikely. CBRN threats from this community are particularly the animal rights groups. “Historically, environmentalism tends to even less likely than they are from other Many are leaderless resistance-type be associated with affluence, on a organisations. “It's worth noting that organisations where you go on their Maslow’s hierarchy of needs notion that there isn't as much CBRN-related website and post about your action with until you can take care of the basic chatter in these milieus as there is in a cool username like ‘the San Francisco needs, you don't have the luxury of other milieus. For example, domestic Wolf’. In some cases there have been investing in other things. At the same US right-wing groups fetishise anthrax cells, a group like The Family who were time much of this environmental and poison gas in the context of its responsible for a number of attacks devastation happens in places that are association with Nazi Germany. We under the ELF framework. They burned less developed and poorer. A lot of the don't see that in the eco-radical milieu, down a bunch of homes in Seattle that potential threat actors that we’re most so that's actually a good sign. Variants caused millions of dollars of damage. In concerned about are affluent, educated of agro-terrorism are eminently terms of newer groups, I don't have a and with access to resources. It’s an possible. On the one hand, animal clear sense, but Deep Green Resistance interesting question whether they might rights activists are deeply invested in seems to be very charismatic leader join forces with, or represent the the sanctity of life of these creatures, driven,” said Zak Kallenborn. interests of people they perceive as being but on the other, associates of People With so many other groups vying for discriminated against, as that's broadly a for the Ethical Treatment of Animals attention do they think that law central narrative in this movement.” (PETA) have often espoused the notion enforcement give them the interest they Zak Kallenborn agreed, but felt that that suffering animals would be better deserve? Zak Kallenborn suggested that there were exceptions. “In South off dead. There have been efforts to these groups feel that they get too much America there are a number of euthanise household pets because attention! “If you don't engage in environmental groups that have some they're perceived as suffering but also violence, it’s really easy for law level of radicalism. Another group I factory animals of various kinds. I enforcement to ignore what you're watch is Individualities Tending Towards certainly think a GMO grain or a doing because their priority is people Savagery, who also draw heavily from Monsanto seed stock being targeted is being murdered right now, and not the Unabomber manifesto. They want to eminently plausible.”

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Zak Kallenborn affirmed that it was CBRN terrorism attack happened and caution. “Many like Deep Green hard to pick at-risk communities. asked, who could have perpetrated it, Resistance believe that the typical “Spreading a bio agent among crops is eco-radicals would belong on the list. climate policies won't fundamentally definitely of interest. Various types of That doesn't mean I lose a huge amount work. They frame it as green capitalism, acids for property damage have been of sleep about the eco-radical CBRN where you're buying hybrid cars, which looked at, and there are quite a few terrorist threat, or for that matter isn't really helping because you're still examples of eco-radical groups putting CBRN terrorism more broadly. One of supporting an inherently extractive really harmful acid in a logging the reasons we wrote this paper was my industry wiping away limited planetary company’s offices to cause damage. In experience in Washington, DC think resources. I suspect a wedge will emerge terms of agents of interest we can pretty tank circles, and eco-radicals came up between radical groups and those that easily rule out nukes, it makes no sense quite a bit in brainstorming are willing to see what happens with the from their ideological viewpoint. Bio is conversations about potential CBRN Biden administration. It will be more interesting, especially more threat actors. Yet we felt there wasn't a interesting to observe how those separate natural types of harm, such as systematic analysis of this potential and how that goes forward. But for law introducing a species. In 1989 a group threat and so that was our core enforcement, monitoring, being aware of called the Breeders released a bunch of motivation for this paper.” the threat and understanding how it medflies16 in California and caused some Both gentlemen felt that the threat evolves are particularly important.” serious crop destruction. I'm not aware might be declining in the US due to the It is too early to say, but it will be that the group did anything after that, change in administration. Trump’s interesting to see how Covid fits into so it may have just been some angry guy climate change denying, as popular as it this. There is little doubt that who framed his attack as an eco-radical was with his base, drove many humanity’s incursion into the thing. Much of it is hoaxes and that's environmentalists around the world environment is bringing out pathogens where you see the chatter. wild. Whether Biden achieves any more that we have never hosted before. “Animal rights groups claimed that in real terms than the previous Equally the potential of gain of function they poured acid into some Kiwi mink administration is another matter, but at work, in laboratories that are already oil that would not only destroy the least the rhetoric has changed. This disliked because of animal testing, to leather in the shoe itself but would also they felt would have a positive effect in have a role in Covid might bring more cause pretty severe burns to skin17. It's the next three to five years in terms of angry people into their orbit. Currently not clear that they actually did that but eco-terrorism. “Law enforcement needs millions are just surviving, trying to it led to a multimillion-dollar recall to remain aware of these groups, ensure they make enough money to put even so. I'm not aware that they’ve figuring out how they work and the basics on the table. When there is a crossed the line to more significant increasing monitoring activities,” said pause in that, when people have a CBRN attacks, but there certainly seems Dr Bleek. “The new administration will chance to ask: 'Was there anything we to be potential.” be a big factor in this, and is clearly could have done to prevent this?’ it Dr Bleek suggested that law making climate change a higher might well be that radical eco-terrorism enforcement should not immediately priority. That could draw away some gets a bit of a Covid bounce. It’s too soon rush out to buy hemp-based undercover elements of support as they believe the to say as yet, but for law enforcement to outfits. The threat is still very low and institution can do things and work to understand these groups will only help, should be considered as such. “If you make things better.” whether or not they hitch their wagon told me that a really consequential Zak Kallenborn sounded a note of to the Covid horse.

1 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1057610X.2018.1471972?journalCode=uter20 2 https://www.njhomelandsecurity.gov/media/podcast-avatars-of-the-earth-eco-radicals-and-cbrn-weapons 3 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20812795/ 4 https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/sugar-sweeteners/background/ 5 https://deepgreenresistance.org/ 6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individualists_Tending_to_the_Wild 7 https://www.nytimes.com/1972/01/19/archives/2-youths-charged-with-plot-to-poison-water-of-chicago.html 8 https://www.vice.com/en/article/kzp4n9/wild-wild-country-netflix-salad-bar-bioterror-attack 9 http://www.animalrightsextremism.info/animal-rights-extremism/existing-groups-campaigns/stop-huntingdon-animal-cruelty-shac/ 10 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1057610X.2012.648156 11 https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/12/the-unabomber-ted-kaczynski-new-generation-of-acolytes.html 12 https://animalliberationpressoffice.org/NAALPO/ 13 https://www.earthliberationfront.com/ 14 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/23/revealed-how-the-fbi-targeted-environmental-activists-in-domestic-terror-investigations 15 https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/ 16 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_California_medfly_attack 17 https://animalliberationpressoffice.org/NAALPO/2013/11/14/2539/

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