Washington, D.C.
The Pentagon has sold surplus laboratory equipment over the Internet that could be used to make chemical and biological weapons, according to a congressional report released this week. Investigators in the General Accounting Office said they set up a shell company and were able to purchase centrifuges, evaporators, bacteriological incubators, and protective clothing. Similar gear is sold commercially, but the Pentagon still should have made an effort to monitor its sales to make sure it didn’t fall into the wrong hands, investigators said. “The Department of Defense should not be a discount shopping outlet for would-be bioterrorists,” said Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.).
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Pope seeks inquiry on if Gaza assault is 'genocide'Speed Read In a book for the Jubilee 2025, Pope Francis considers whether Israel's war in Gaza meets the legal definition of 'genocide'
-
Can Europe pick up the slack in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Trump's election raises questions about what's next in the war
-
Biden allows Ukraine to hit deep in RussiaSpeed Read The U.S. gave Ukraine the green light to use ATACMS missiles supplied by Washington, a decision influenced by Russia's escalation of the war with North Korean troops
