TERRORISM: Terrorists May Use Pen Guns, FBI Warns

The FBI is warning that terrorists could potentially use pens filled with cartridges of poison as weapons. The FBI said that bullet cavities of pen guns could be filled with poisonous chemicals or biological toxins, including cyanide, mercury, arsenic and ricin. "The FBI possesses no information indicating that chemical pen guns are currently being used or will be used in terrorist operations in the United States; however, law enforcement agencies should remain alert to the potential use of such devices," the FBI said in the notice.

Terrorists May Use Pen Guns, FBI Warns
Since early 2001, several incidents involving pen guns have been reported overseas, according to the FBI. To describe a few:
� On June 18, 2003, Saudi Arabian border guards seized 10 pen guns from Yemini nationals
� In January 2003, French police searching locations used by an arrested French Algerian baggage handler found a number of pen guns.
The bureau points out that pen guns can be easily concealed to evade detection at security checkpoints.
"Except for its heavier weight, which is evident only when held, a pen gun closely resembles a standard fountain pen. There are no outward markings to indicate the pen is a firearm," the FBI said.

[Edited on 3-4-2004 by worldwatcher]

Gel pens or ballpoint?

Remember the cellphone gun? I guess this goes right along with that. I suppose you could hide a bullet in just about anything if you worked hard at it.

Don't forget the Pepper Pager It looks like an ordinary pager. (Except for the words "Pepper Pager" on the side)

[Edited on 4-3-2004 by dbates]

hmmm...makes me wonder about all those guys with pocket protectors for their pens.....

I think this one is going to be a hard one to catch if terrorist actually go around with deadly pens..
btw, I don't see how effective they could be against the masses, but they could be useful in a one on one confrontation... I can only conclude that warning is about because of the fear that they might use the pens on pilots on a plane.

why does the FBI, DHS, etc. issue warnings like this? "we have no specific information, but terrorists may..." yea, they may use shovels, or baseball caps, or anything

fear factor??? a ploy or ruse??? who knows, it doesn't make logical sense as the motives why they do many things they do...sometime I think we give the terrorist more ideas than anything.

just means, more time screening at the airports, and forget walking with your pen now for those word search puzzles while you wait in line.

I knew it, the terrorists work for MI6!!! Damn Bond handing terrorists his gadgets.

In Europe they are regularly confiscated by law enforcement. It's sometimes in the local media, they are not new. But for the fact that they would be able to fire what I would call chemicaly poisoned bullets, that's new.
Not that new even, I can remember clearly watching a show on "Discovery Channel' :-) about the cold war spies, showing a murder in London making use of a umbrella to inject a microscopic little ball in to a person. This ball contained some sort of nerve agent, the spy died.
They are as gadgets not that preserved to intel agencies as you may think, and more common on the illegal arms market. Criminals for example like to have them because they can take them into nightlife venues. Last time I heard one being confiscated was a couple of weeks ago in a raid on the Hells Angels headquarters near Amsterdam. I have heard and seen examples of easy concealable weapons and guns, made into pens, lighters, mobile phones, lipsticks and umbrella's, as you can see anything small. I quess they must be common to Eastern European markets too.

quote of 1st FOX story:
"Pen guns are readily available in the United States and have recently become available in Europe, the Balkans, Middle East and South Asia, the FBI said."

[Edited on 4-3-2004 by Hoaks]

[Edited on 4-3-2004 by Hoaks]

From Hoaks: "Pen guns are readily available in the United States and have recently become available in Europe, the Balkans, Middle East and South Asia, the FBI said."

Too true. All you need is a machine shop to make a single shot .22 pen. They've been used for ages. Shock! Terror! Eeeek! I think most credible terrorist threats have been effectively neutralised, and now we're being told scary stories to keep us glued to our seats and justify expenditure. Chem pens? How the mighty have fallen, from WMD to this! What's next, crazy terrorists will be attacking us with poisoned cream puffs?

Here it is. Legal in all states except California, Maryland and New York. Currently available in .22 with a .32 caliber model in the works. Poision bullets not included. Their website seems to be down today.

Originally posted by Hoaks
I can remember clearly watching a show on "Discovery Channel' :-) about the cold war spies, showing a murder in London making use of a umbrella to inject a microscopic little ball in to a person. This ball contained some sort of nerve agent, the spy died

I remember that happening ...

... Markov climbed the stairs to the bus stop. As he neared the queue of people waiting for the bus, he experienced a sudden stinging pain in the back of his right thigh. He turned and saw a man bending to pick up a dropped umbrella. The man who was facing away from Georgi Markov, apologized.

Georgi Markov subsequently remembered that the apology was made with a foreign accent. The man then hailed a taxi and departed. Markov later described him as heavy set and about 40 years old. Though in pain, Georgi Markov boarded the bus to work. But the pain continued.

Georgi Markov noticed a small blood spot on his jeans. He told colleagues at the BBC what happened and showed one friend a pimple-like red swelling on his thigh. By evening, Georgi Markov had developed a high fever. His wife Annabel called a colleague at BBC, who took Markov to a London hospital, where he was treated for an undetermined form of blood poisoning.

His condition fast worsened. He was not responding to doctor's efforts. The next day he went into shock, and after three days of agony and delirium he died on 11.09.1978 ...

Various newspaper in London carried the story of Georgi Markov's death as front page news. Scotland Yard began an investigation into the death. An autopsy was performed at Wandsworth Public Mortuary. The doctors found a tiny metal pinhead in the wound. When they attempted to extract the "pin", a tiny pellet fell on the table.

The police took the pellet to the Chemical and Micro-biological Warfare Establishment at Porton Down, commonly called the "Germ Warfare Center" ...

After weeks of research and experimentation, in January 1979, a Coroner's Inquest in London Gavin Thurston ruled that Georgi Markov had been killed via a poison called ricin (it is several times deadly as cobra venom and has no antidote).


www.videofact.com...

Hey Pisky,
cool work, that's the story indeed.

The fact is, they are an assasin's tool not a terrorist tool. You have one shot and better be close enough to make it count. An ice pick is just as effective.

quesstion...im not trying to make a joke( though it may sound like it)

but do these pens actually write??? if they do thats pretty cool, id get one and be all like journalist/secret detective

...ok that last comment was supposed to be a joke but the question wasnt! ha!

quote (FOX)
"Except for its heavier weight, which is evident only when held, a pen gun closely resembles a standard fountain pen. There are no outward markings to indicate the pen is a firearm," the FBI said.

"Furthermore, one type of pen gun has a tiny ink reservoir within the tip, so it will write if the operative is challenged. In a standard X-ray device, an unloaded pen gun may appear as a normal pen."

For anyone starting to feel all safe from terrorists worrying about the little pens and stuff, just remember what I heard on the news the other day. The newsman stated that tons of drugs are smuggled into this country every day and the terrorists know how this works.
I hope that while we're busy worrying about tiny little devices that something more dangerous is not sneaking by. For example if tons of drugs can sneak into the country why not a semi loaded with something else? I'm not trying to scare but just raising awareness we are not as safe as we think.

Heh I would like one of these pen guns.

I wouldn't mind one of those replica cellphones that look just like the real thing but are actually hip flasks.

[Edited on 4-3-2004 by Pisky]