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Europe: Terrorist chemical threat 'worse than suspected'
Financial Times ^ | April 11 2004 18:26 | Mark Huband, Security Correspondent, in Paris

Posted on 04/11/2004 5:10:01 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach

Terrorists plotting to use chemical weapons in Europe have more advanced plans than security services previously suspected, a senior French counter-terrorism official has warned.

Small groups of chemicals experts have been detected in several European countries and have developed ways of communicating with each other that allowed them to avoid being exposed.

"We have underestimated the terrorists' willingness and capacity to develop chemical weapons," the French official told the Financial Times. He said a recent wave of arrests in Britain and France has revealed how far they had developed their plans.

The groups appear to operate separately from other cells planning attacks using ordinary explosives. Several of them are believed to have links to Islamic militants in the breakaway Russian republic of Chechnya. Western intelligence services allege that extremists linked to al-Qaeda have carried out experiments in chemical warfare in Chechnya.

In January French anti-terrorist police arrested five people in the Lyons suburb of Venisseux - three of them from the same family - on suspicion of involvement in planning terrorist attacks. Nicolas Sarkozy, then interior minister, said that one of the detainees, Menad Benchallali, "was trained to produce chemical substances".

Two of the detainees admitted a plan had been devised to attack Russian targets in France using ricin poison and botulinum bacteria. French officials say Mr Benchellali received chemical weapons training in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge, a haven for Chechen fighters.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.ft.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: caucasus; jihadineurope
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
I do hope the Eurinals do nothing rash and plead with the UN for assistance. With several expidited Commissions, the UN should be able to form an advisory recommendation for the implementation of a concordance for the plenary session within a matter of weeks. Beyond that, however, it depends on the quantity and quality of the bribes.
21 posted on 04/11/2004 6:26:25 PM PDT by Tacis
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To: NCjim
Re: The ostrich defense.
We have to make sure that there is concrete on the ground. It will make them get a real headache?
22 posted on 04/11/2004 6:26:26 PM PDT by americanbychoice2
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
The French acknowledging that terrorists have chemical weapons?

Impossible!

Everyone knows the threat is exaggerated and there are NO weapons of mass destruction anywhere.

23 posted on 04/11/2004 6:37:19 PM PDT by OldFriend (Always understand, even if you remain among the few)
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To: Tacis; JohnHuang2
I do hope the Eurinals do nothing rash and plead with the UN for assistance. With several expidited Commissions, the UN should be able to form an advisory recommendation for the implementation of a concordance for the plenary session within a matter of weeks. Beyond that, however, it depends on the quantity and quality of the bribes.

Quote of the day....nay, week....nomination.

24 posted on 04/11/2004 6:43:59 PM PDT by ErnBatavia (Because Democrats are liars, they assume Republicans are too...)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
From the BBC.
25 posted on 04/11/2004 6:51:14 PM PDT by Zuben Elgenubi
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To: ErnBatavia

I for one hope that the UN gets right on top of this. Because I will simply refuse to believe in any of these so-called "chemical weapons" until they have been shown to me on television.

Evidence of a program is no evidence! I want weapons, or the Euros are lying to me!

26 posted on 04/11/2004 7:34:06 PM PDT by HarryCaul
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To: ErnBatavia
I do hope the Eurinals....

Eurinals!   LOL!

27 posted on 04/11/2004 8:21:32 PM PDT by jigsaw (God Bless Our Military.)
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To: HarryCaul
Evidence of a program is no evidence! I want weapons, or the Euros are lying to me!

ROFL!!!

28 posted on 04/11/2004 8:56:08 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States - and war is what they got!!!!)
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