Why cheap drones pose a significant chemical terrorism threat

By Zachary Kallenborn, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Earlier this year, police in the United Kingdom arrested Mohammad Al-Bared for building a drone designed for the Islamic State, the terrorist group that once held vast territory in Iraq and Syria. The 3D-printed drone was designed to deliver chemical weapons or explosives, and a search of Al-Bared’s home turned up notebooks with chemical equations and “recipes for chemical weapons,” unrelated, according to authorities, to his studies as a doctoral student in mechanical engineering.

Al-Bared had developed a plan involving a “spoof company” to ferry his weapon, undetected, into a war zone.

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Al-Bared, found guilty in September of preparing acts of terrorism, was certainly not the first would-be terrorist to explore using drones. The history of such planning dates back at least to the Japanese doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo’s experimentation with uncrewed vehicles in 1993 or 1994 for a use in a possible chemical or biological weapons attack. The group ended up attacking the Tokyo subway system without drones. Since then, drone technology has significantly improved.

Relatively cheap drones are becoming a mainstay of conflicts, from the war in Ukraine to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. Though drones were once the purview of rich and powerful militaries, it’s now possible to use cheap consumer drones in battle. With a few tweaks, they can whistle past even sophisticated air defenses.

Also Read: How to Understand the Biological Weapons Threat: Part 4

As Al-Bared’s case highlights, they may also present a significant chemical terrorism threat. Drones can be equipped with sprayers to deliver chemical weapons, or they could be used in an attack on a chemical plant. They could also provide critical attack support, helping with reconnaissance to plan out and conduct an attack, monitor law enforcement response, and create propaganda to highlight terrorist activities.

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