Dirty bomb test?

The idea that the polonium poisoning in London might be something other than murder set my imagination going. It focused on questions about why anyone would use such a complex method to kill a person, and what else could a “bad guy” learn from the incident. John Dvorak’s blog entry [1] about a news report [2] speculating on the incident as a dirty bomb trial triggered some thoughts.

Why polonium? Why death by radiation?

A couple of reasons come to mind.

1. Radiation poisoning isn’t reversible. Once ingested, the victim dies, slowly and unpleasantly.


2. A tiny amount is enough.


3. Polonium is essentially harmless unless ingested. The poisoner isn’t at risk if careful.


4. The killer is well clear before symptoms are detectable.


5. Radiation poisoning is particularly frightening.

On the other hand:

1. The method is exotic enough to cause lots of questions.


2. It hints at state sponsorship to get sufficient polonium to be effective.

That seems inconclusive to me. Why and how one decides to use that method is obscure. So what else could it be?

Dirty bomb trial

Could this be a test? If so, what was being tested? To what benefit?

1. How far does this stuff spread?


2. Tracking is easy - the press does it for you.


3. Radiation danger gets reported, so the “terror effect” is easy to monitor.


4. How well do authorities respond to the threat?


5. How well do they detect traces and in what amount?

Did it work

If one were testing the effects of scattering radiation about the countryside, this becomes an effective way to answer these questions. If it also gets rid of a thorn in one’s side, all the better for the poisoning sponsor. The terrorist says to the Russian FIS, “Whom would you like to be rid of? We’ll take care of it if you provide the tools and expenses”. As a test, this seems to work. Cheap for the terrorist, since the polonium is suddenly free, with an allowance for travel. Cheap for the FIS, since they aren’t directly involved.

Are the “good guys” considering this? I should certainly hope so. Of course, they would be silly to tell us either way, but one can nudge them along with a little speculation, gently dispersed on a blog site or two.

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[1]: Was London The Site Of A Dirty Bomb Trial Run?

[2]: Outside View: Dirty bomb trial run? by TATYANA SINITSYNA, UPI Outside View Commentator