CBRN and Hazmat Incidents at Major Public Events: Planning and Response

SCENARIO L

The Crime Scene

BACKGROUND

Readers of this book will notice that I have frequently mentioned the subject of forensics and the importance of crime-scene procedures. In large part, this is my penance for not paying proper attention to this vital subject during many phases of my career, and I now have embraced its importance. Terrorist incidents are likely to leave evidence at crime scenes. Judicial processes will be used to prosecute terrorists, and evidence will be needed. The judicial systems deserve adequate evidence.

While most of the scenarios in this part of the book will give ample scope for discussions of evidence, forensics, and legal procedure, I feel that this subject is sufficiently important that specific training scenarios are needed for emphasis.

THE SCENARIO

The following episodes are set at the major world-class sporting event that was the setting for the “biological attack” scenario, although we assume here that none of the episodes from that scenario have occurred. Intelligence agencies have warned the event planners that an extremist group may be targeting the games. There is some intelligence information, of unknown veracity, to indicate that the extremist group was interested in producing the biotoxin ricin or the chemical weapon hydrogen cyanide. Both can be produced in an improvised laboratory. The episodes in this scenario occur sequentially.

Episode 1

It is three days before the opening ceremony. Information is received from the border authorities ...