ABSTRACT
By the end of the last century, the threat of mass casualty terrorism had begun to edge its way onto the agendas of defense and law-enforcement agencies. The arrival of the millennium, and the worldwide celebrations that would accompany it, had taken on sinister connotations for many officials. There was a concern that cults, disgruntled individuals, or terrorist organizations might view the dawn of a new century as a signal to take violent action to help prompt the coming of some long awaited utopia. The air was filled with apprehension as many officials believed that the multitudes gathered at various New Year’s celebrations might prove to be tempting targets for individuals or organizations bent on violence. The fact that enormous crowds of revelers could be wiped out by a weapon of mass destruction (WMD), a chemical, biological, nuclear, or radiological device, was not lost upon officials. When the millennium passed quietly, a collective sigh of relief could be heard in police and defense ministries around the world.
