LAS VEGAS - Military authorities are checking a vehicle after a bomb-sniffing dog sensed something inside it at a Nellis Air Force Base gate. A police spokesman says part of Las Vegas Boulevard is blocked off not far from the Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital while officials investigate. He calls it a precaution.
No word yet if the car actually contains any explosives. The driver is being questioned after the alert at the hospital gate. That's across the street from the air force base. A base spokeswoman says the alert was posted about 11:15 this morning.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2007/nov/26/112610620.html
Top police officer warns that nuclear attack is inevitable (Scotland)
A NUCLEAR attack by terrorists causing widespread panic, chaos and death is inevitable and will happen soon, a senior Scottish police officer has warned.
Ian Dickinson, who leads the police response to chemical, biological and nuclear threats in Scotland, has painted the bleakest picture yet of the dangers the world now faces. Efforts to prevent terrorist groups from obtaining materials that could be made into radioactive dirty bombs - or even crude nuclear explosives - are bound to fail, he said. And the result will be horror on an unprecedented scale.
"These materials are undoubtedly out there, and undoubtedly will end up in terrorists' hands, and undoubtedly will be used by terrorists some time soon," he declared. "We must plan for failure and prepare for absolute terror." Dickinson is assistant chief constable with Lothian and Borders Police, and has responsibility through the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland for protecting Scotland from chemical and nuclear attacks. He has been closely involved in co-ordinating the country's counter-terrorism response.
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http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.1857656.0.0.php
Terrorist might detonate a Dirty Bomb in a major city: IAEA
Edinburgh, Nov 21: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned that terrorists might detonate a "dirty bomb" in a major city sooner than later.
William Nye, Home Office director of counter-terrorism and intelligence, told delegates that al-Qaida is actively seeking high-grade uranium and plutonium in order to detonate a "dirty bomb" in major cities such as London or Washington. "As the terrorists look for the next spectacular attack, we know that al-Qaida in Iraq is calling on nuclear scientists to join in the jihad. Combating this threat requires international cooperation," The Scotsman quoted Nye, as saying.
Peter Jenkins, Britain`s chief representative to the Vienna-based IAEA, told the conference that while it is not known if terrorists have acquired nuclear materials, the threat is real.
"Nuclear terrorism has been recognised as a genuine threat since the 1970s, and we have evidence that al-Qaida has been trying to acquire material since the 1990s. But since 9/11 the risk has become a widespread international concern," Jenkins said. Steven Aoki, a counter-terrorism official at the US Energy Department, called for improved scrutiny of radioactive material used for industrial and academic purposes, and to prevent it from falling into the hands of terrorists. "This is a major problem with a potentially large amount of radioactive material out there and unaccounted for. We need to get hold of it and store it securely," Aoki said.
The IAEA warning came at a four-day international conference being held on nuclear trafficking at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland. Around 350 experts from nearly 70 countries are assessing anti-terrorist programmes and discussing how to combat any threat involving nuclear material.
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http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?rep=2&aid=408645&sid=WOR&sname
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “The driver is being questioned after the alert at the hospital gate.”
Thanks Oorang.
I wish our politicians would be as honest and forthright as those in Scotland regarding the nuke threat.