1993 WTC Attack: cyanide

Discussion in 'Politics & Current Events' started by CrewStadium227, Aug 23, 2002.

  1. CrewStadium227

    CrewStadium227 New Member

    Jul 9, 1999
    Columbus,Ohio,USA
    Last Monday night on the CBS news Dan Rather mentioned that the truck bomb that blew up in the WTC parking garage in 1993 was loaded with a significant about of cyanide. The bombers apparently hoped that the explosion would push the cyanide through the ventilation system and kill everyone in the building.

    Am I the only one who had never heard this before? I always thought that attack was supposed to damage the physical structure of the building, and maybe cause it to collapse. But I had never heard the chemical weapons angle on it before.

    Can anything be read into the fact that this aspect of the story was not widely reported?
     
  2. Ghost

    Ghost Member+

    Sep 5, 2001
    I think I had heard that before, but I'm obviously not goingto be much help. Ramzi Yousef once was on a plane or helicopter with an FBI special agent. That agent pointed to the building and said, "It's stkill standing." Yousef replied, "If I had more money it wouldn't be." SO it's not out of the realm that the cyanide was the real plan and not structural damage.
     
  3. Nobby

    Nobby New Member

    Feb 18, 2002
    Kirkland, WA
    After a little web searching, I found that claim repeated at several sites, but was unable to find direct evidence or the original source for it. Some of the articles said that the cyanide was burnt off by the explosion but as I understand it, the deadly hydrogen cyanide is made from burning the sodium cyanide.

    I did however find an account of an exchange between the prime terrorist and a US agent.

    "As Yousef was being flown from Pakistan to the United States to stand trial, he told Secret Service agent Brian Parr that he would have put sodium cyanide into the WTC bomb if he had had enough money..."

    Not to say that the terrorist is truthful, just that this might be where the story got its start.

    http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/reports/wtc93.htm
     
  4. Alan S

    Alan S Member

    Jun 1, 2001
    Palo Alto, CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Heard about it several years ago. Don't know if it is true, but nobody should doubt that they would try it if they had the capability.

    Supposedly back in 93, the heat from the explosion changed the chemical composition of the posion enough that it was ineffective.
     

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