How Terrorists Might Stage a Nuclear Attack on the United States What would a terrorist organization have to do to set off a nuclear explosion in an American city?
“First, they have to get a nuclear weapon,” Albert Carnesale said. In his opinion it is unlikely that any terrorist organization would have the expertise and the secure base to build its own nuclear bomb, but they might be able to buy or steal one, “or somebody might give it to them.” If they purchase or are given such a weapon they would presumably be trained in how to use it. “If they have to steal one, then they have to figure out how to bypass all the safeguards that are built into a weapon.” Then comes the delivery problem. “If you have only one or two nuclear weapons and are a terrorist,” Carnesale said, “the last way you are going to try to deliver it is with some long-range missile. First of all you have to get one of those and figure out how it works.” The options would be to assemble the bomb in the city the terrorists want to blow up, or to bring in into a harbor in a boat, drive it over the border — preferably the less-guarded Canadian border rather than the Mexican border
