Pentagon security questioned

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.).