Biowarfare scare: Pakistani judges under threat from suspicious substance

Abstract

On 2 April 2024, Islamabad High Court and Supreme Court judges in Pakistan received threatening letters laced with an unknown substance, which was later alleged to be bacillus anthracis. This event marked the third possible occasion where bacillus anthracis has been weaponised in Pakistan. Worldwide, bacillus anthracis has been weaponised at least ten times prior to this suspected event. Whilst anthrax is endemic in parts of Pakistan and there are biosafety level 3 laboratories in the country there is the possibility that bacillus anthracis spores could have been harvested or acquired in the country. However, with limited information and no official confirmation from international sources, significant uncertainty remains around the unknown substance being anthrax. Determining the true nature of the attack will require unfettered access to the country for a thorough examination of whether it was anthrax and, if so, how anthrax was weaponised. This attack with a potentially lethal substance underscores the critical importance of robust biosecurity measures.