Ricin Detected In Mail That Was Sent To The Pentagon

CNN: Ricin detected in mail sent to Pentagon

A piece of mail delivered to the Pentagon mail facility has initially tested positive for ricin, according to two US defense officials.

The mail facility is in a separate building on the grounds of the Pentagon and the piece of mail which tested positive never entered the Pentagon building.

The FBI and the Pentagon Force Protection agency are responding and further testing is expected to be done by the FBI, the officials said.

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Update: FBI responding to suspected ricin in 2 packages sent to Pentagon (Military Times)

WNU Editor: This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as more news becomes available.

Report: Islamic State Has Used Chemical Weapons 52 Times Since 2014

Washington Post: Report: Islamic State has used chemical weapons 52 times in Iraq and Syria since 2014

The Islamic State has used chemical agents 52 times in Iraq and Syria since 2014, according to a new report published Tuesday.

The report, put out by IHS Markit, an information analytics company, and IHS Conflict Monitor, a subsidiary of IHS that uses open-source information to gather data from war zones, also warned of the increasing likelihood the extremist group will use chemical weapons as it retreats from the city of Mosul.

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WNU Editor: The Obama administration has been very quiet on the Islamic State's use of chemical weapons .... unlike the Russian government and military who have been very vocal on the use of these WMDs by rebel forces in Syria .... Russia confirms evidence of chemical weapons in Aleppo, Syria (UPI).

More News On Reports That The Islamic State Has Used Chemical Weapons 52 Times Since 2014

ISIS used chemical weapons at least 71 times in Iraq, Syria -- AP
ISIS Used Chemical Arms at Least 52 Times in Syria and Iraq, Report Says -- NYT
Islamic State has used chemical weapons 71 times, group charges -- The Times of Israel
Mosul: UN says Islamic State stockpiling chemicals as Iraqi troops inch ahead in Mosul -- ABC News Online
ISIS Using Chemical Weapons? Islamic State Reportedly Gathering Ammonia, Sulfur Amid Mosul Battle -- IBTimes

U.S. Intelligence Director: The Islamic State Has Made And Used Chemical Weapons

Activists say that somewhere between 200 and 1,300 were killed in the chemical weapons attack near Damascus. August, 2013

FOX News: Top intel official confirms ISIS made, used chemical weapons

The nation’s top intelligence official confirmed Tuesday that the Islamic State has succeeded in making and deploying chemical agents in Iraq and Syria -- calling it the first such attack by an extremist group in more than two decades.

The confirmation of mustard gas use came during Director of National Intelligence James Clapper's testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he spoke to the Islamic State's growing sophistication online and in the battlefield.

He did not elaborate on where and when the chemical attacks occurred, though there has been mounting evidence the terror group was experimenting with chemical weapons.

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Update: Non-State Actors in Mideast 'Use Chemical Weapons as Means of Warfare' (Sputnik).

WNU Editor: The UN's chemical watchdog was hinting the same thing yesterday .... Chemical weapons watchdog identifies possible sarin gas attack in Syria (AP). Reports that the Islamic State was using chemical weapons have been reported since 2014 .... Report: Islamic State Using Chemical Weapons.

Growing Worries That The Islamic State Is Seeking To Produce Chemical Weapons

RT: ‘ISIS branch’ seeking to produce chemical weapons - Iraq and US intel

Islamic State has a branch devoted to creating chemical weapons, AP reports, citing Iraqi and US officials. Earlier, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls also warned that Islamic State could potentially use chemical or biological weapons in its attacks.

A special branch has been set up by Islamic State to develop chemical weapon for the terrorist group using scientists from Iraq and Syria as well as other countries in the region, AP reported, citing Iraqi and US intelligence sources.

Although Islamic State has already used mustard gas on the battlefield, US intelligence agencies are skeptical about the terrorists’ capabilities to produce sophisticated chemical weapons suited for a potential terrorist attack.

More News On Reports That The Islamic State Is Seeking To Produce Chemical Weapons

ISIS pursuing production of chemical weapons, officials say -- CBS/AP
Report: ISIS assembling chemical weapons team -- Washington Examiner
Chemical weapons attack on Europe seems highly unlikely -- The Guardian
Could ISIS Strike the West With Chemical Weapons? -- NBC
Islamic State Aggresively Pursuing Chemical Weapons -- Washington Free Beacon
Paris attacks: ISIS could use chemical weapons in next attack warns French PM -- Mirror
Paris attacks: Isis 'chemical weapons' warning issued by French PM Manuel Valls -- The Independent

U.S. Troops In Iraq Warned To Be Prepare For A Chemical Attack From The Islamic State

July 20, 2015: U.S. Army soldiers look at a F-16 fighter jet during an official ceremony to receive four of these aircrafts from the U.S., at a military base in Balad, Iraq. (Reuters)

FOX News: US military ordering troops in Iraq to dust off chemical weapon suits

The U.S. military has ordered its nearly 3,500 troops stationed in Iraq to reacquaint themselves with their chemical weapons suits due to evidence that the Islamic State has obtained chemical weapons and used them on multiple occasions.

“It is a precautionary measure,” a defense official told Fox News, acknowledging the order.

During a briefing Thursday, the Pentagon would not publicly confirm the order but reassured reporters that the military is prepared to handle a chemical attack by ISIS.

WNU Editor: These warnings are prudent. ISIS has used chemical weapons in the past .... a chemical attack on a U.S. base in Iraq would be (in their eyes) a huge propaganda win.

Should We Be More Worried About Chemical Terrorism Rather Than Nuclear Or Biological Terrorism?

Chemical Terror Attack Called Likely in Coming Years -- Global Security Newswire

An Israeli expert said Monday that nations must ready themselves for the increasing threat of acts of chemical terrorism in the years ahead, the Jerusalem Post reported (see GSN, July 27).

"The most immediate threat is chemical terrorism," said Boaz Ganor, executive director of the Israel-based nonprofit International Institute for Counterterrorism. "We know that today, terrorists can download cookbooks from the Internet. They have primitive labs to prepare IEDs (improvised explosive devices), and can use the labs to prepare toxins rather than IEDs."

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My Comment: Armchair Generalist posted a commentary a few months ago on chemical terrorism .... and why it is probably being "overblown". The link to his post is here.