Dateline: Jan. 25, 1998 Houston, Texas and Tel Aviv, Israel
First reports indicate that two bombs have gone off simultaneously, causing a scene of mayhem and gore in both cities. The Israeli authorities responded almost immediately after receiving a warning from a militant terrorist group that a bomb would be set off in both the U.S. and Israel that could contain the toxic nerve agent Sarin. Israeli authorities were able to get their anti-terrorist and special hazardous materials units moving within minutes of the call. The bomb went off in a crowded traffic circle near the heart of the city and a plume of yellowish and brown smoke quickly spread through the area. The first police units on the scene were either not prepared or didn't get the warning in time as they too were hit by the nerve gas and quickly succumbed to the paralysis and respiratory failure followed by death. Early reports indicate that one hundred civilians, including twenty tourists from France, ten from England, and at least fifteen from the Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank town of Jericho were killed. Over 800 more were injured. Ten police and military officers were also killed before the special forces arrived on the scene to begin the cleanup and containment procedures.
Israeli military officials are in meetings at this hour with the Prime Minister and Knesset officials trying to determine what the appropriate response should be. Meanwhile, there have been demonstrations outside the Prime Minister's residence calling for a retaliatory strike against the terrorist group cell and their backers — another country in the region that has long supported terrorist activities.
Meanwhile, in Houston, authorities didn't receive the warning in time and the second bomb was detonated outside a sports event. It is feared over 500 were killed and several thousand were injured from a Sarin gas attack. This chemical isn't nearly as deadly as its chemically related cousin VX, but apparently the device was stored in an unmarked van parked directly across the street from the sports venue and detonated by a timer. The first emergency crews on the scene also succumbed to the effects of Sarin, which included nausea, vomiting, unconsciousness and paralysis. National Guard crews arrived on the scene within 15 minutes to supplement the Houston fire department's hazardous materials units. They began distributing chemical weapons protective gear and antidotes to the nerve gas.
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