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October 14, 2008
Exclusive: Doctor Evil? Physicians & Scientists – Terrorists & Murderers in an Era of Global Terrorism (Part One of Four)
“I will apply measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice.” - Hippocrates
The involvement of radical Muslim physicians in the Glasgow airport and London bombing conspiracy of June 2007 lead us to ask how those trained to heal could embrace terrorism and readily kill.
Truth be told, some of the worst mass murderers in the last 100 years have been physicians. Whether planning or directly carrying out atrocities ranging from 9/11, homicide bombings in the Middle East or the appropriation of technology secrets that can be used against us, physicians and scientists as an educated body politic pose a significant risk as a dangerous group – a fifth column.
At the end of July a U.S.-trained neuroscientist's appeared charged with the attempted murder of American soldiers and FBI agents in a New York court. Aafia Siddiqui, according to U.S. officials, reportedly studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, was arrested in Afghanistan in possession of recipes for explosives and chemical weapons, as well as details of landmarks in the United States, including in New York.
The topic of medical terrorism and medical murder can expand into a variety of interrelated realms important to the homeland security professional, domestic health care professionals and most importantly the public. These include, and will be presented in depth in future articles:
- Health care facility vulnerability
- Patient safety
- The risk/benefit of international medical graduates
- Extremist/ fundamentalist views in conflict with modern medical practice
- The growing global business of counterfeit medications
- The “mafia-ization” or organized crime corruption of health care here and abroad and the role physicians and other health care providers play in these criminal enterprises
- The psychology of healers turned killers
Among all these issues, clearly the radicalization of the West and the role that physicians play as a potential threat to domestic security is an immediate and paramount concern. As such, we’ll examine some of the dangers of this radicalization within the medical profession. It is not a uniquely Muslim extremism or religious conversion or act of patriotism that drives radicalization or creation of terrorist scientists. But one must also acknowledge that the current threat to the West is one driven by radical Islamic extremists; as such sympathetic physicians pose a risk in support of al Qaeda, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. We must anticipate the threat. The challenge for security professionals, and the public, which clearly has a stake as well as a role in domestic preparedness, is the reality that physicians and scientists are valuable to revolutionary causes. This is especially true as we attempt to be proactive in identifying those who pose a risk to our communities while living within our communities. We, as a society, must decide what solutions are acceptable and available.
Background: Killer Doctors
In spite of recent high profile terrorist events, the role of the scientifically trained in furthering extremist ideology is neither a new phenomenon nor unique to extremist Muslims. Throughout the 20th century, highly skilled physicians have spearheaded some of the most evil and vile programs in the history of humanity. The Nazi German Dr. Josef Mengele, AKA Auschwitz’s “Angel of Death,” in the name of science and his pursuit of power, during World War II (WWII) subjected his patients – political prisoners, mostly Jews, to dissection without anesthesia, injections of prussic acid (cyanide) and various chemical toxicants, as well as perverse organ swapping experiments between twins. Less well known was Japans enthusiasm for biological weapons. In 1936 Emperor Hirohito created what would be referred to the outside world as the “Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department of the Kuantung Army” but in reality was Unit 731 – a secret germ warfare program under the leadership of Dr. Ishii Shiro, a physician - microbiologist. Recognizing the economy of scale – a virtual endless supply of people on which to experiment, Shiro and his willing accomplices of physicians and scientists - established Unit 731 in Manchuria. Exploiting prisoners of war and Chinese civilians, the physicians of Unit 731 took biological weapons testing, vivisection, and germ warfare, especially plague, to new levels of atrocity –ultimately claiming tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of victims.
In the aftermath of WWII, as the borders of the Middle East were being redrawn, to force colonial powers to divest their rule over many of the Arabic nations, came the reemergence of guerilla warfare techniques and “modern” terrorism; again often under the direct leadership of physicians. Perhaps the highest profile revolution among the widespread political instability of the Caribbean and South America was Cuba; Ché Guevara, a physician, was second in command to Fidel Castro. While helping to establish widespread medical facilities, he also authorized numerous deaths, and horrific torture.
In the 1960s, Dr. George Habash founded the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). This pediatrician was instrumental in a rocket attack of a school bus full of children in Avivim, Israel. The strategy of hijacking commercial airlines was the brainchild of Dr. Wadih Haddad, another physician, and second in command of PFLP. Dr. Fathi Abd Al-Aziz Shiqaqi was a founder of Islamic Jihad as well as an active member of Fatah. Another pediatrician, Dr. Abdel Aziz Al Rantisi ,was a leader in Hamas. The commander of the Moroccan cell that provided logistics for the 9/11 attacks was a physician (psychiatrist) – Dr. Abu Hafiza. Dr. Ayman Al Zawahiri –al Qaeda leader under Osama bin Laden, another physician. As the events of 9/11 demonstrated, this trend will continue into the 21st century, and in the U.S.: not too long ago Dr. Rafiq Sabir was convicted in an al Qaeda plot; he was a Boca Raton physician.
The anthrax events of 2001 taught us that the stakes can get much higher than conventional weapons. Whether we believe it was a domestic scientist acting alone or a more organized event rests with history. Regardless, worth noting, worldwide it is estimated at least 20, perhaps upwards of 60, nations have some form of biological weapons program. This doesn’t include extremist groups – some are homegrown like the folks in The Dalles, Oregon, or international organizations like al Qaeda or even “end of the world” cults that have used cyanide and other toxicants. All these have one thing in common…who is leading these bioweapon centers: physicians and other scientists; each playing a critical role in the development of biological agents and countermeasures. What separates one nation’s program from a rogue state or extremist group’s efforts is intent. Aum Shumrikyo in Japan released the nerve agent SARIN in Tokyo subway; they have also shown an interest in and willingness to use biologicals and other chemicals in the development, deployment and safety measures for perpetrators. Virtually every significant terrorist or cult organization has an interest in disruptive threats – weapons and tactics that go beyond conventional warfare. None of this is possible without scientific and/or medical guidance.
The British estimate numerous doctors have adopted the radical extremism of the Muslim Brotherhood, Tablighi Jamaat and Al Muhajiroun (banned but still active in the United Kingdom) which recruit medical students. Numerous physicians remain under watch in the UK; with the British Government acknowledging it doesn’t have the resources to identify the full realm of risk.
Part Two will continue with Contemporary Threats and the Fifth Column.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Dr. Robin McFee is a physician and medical toxicologist. An expert in WMD preparedness, she is a consultant to government agencies, corporations and the media. Dr. McFee is a member of the Global Terrorism, Political Instability and International Crime Council of ASIS International. She has authored numerous articles on terrorism, health care and preparedness, and coauthored two books: Toxico-Terrorism by McGraw Hill and The Handbook of Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Agents, published by Informa/CRC Press.
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