Al-Qaeda has dirty bomb, UK says

BBC News ^ | January 31, 2003 | Frank Gardner

[MadIvan]

British officials have presented evidence which they claim shows that al-Qaeda has been trying to assemble radioactive material to build a so-called dirty bomb.

They have shown the BBC previously undisclosed material backing up their claim.

It includes secret intelligence from agents sent into al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan by Britain.

Posing as recruits, they blended in and reported back.

They revealed that Osama Bin Laden's weapons programme was further on than anyone thought.

British officials said on Thursday Bin Laden now has the expertise and possibly the materials to build a crude radioactive bomb.

The government says evidence suggests that by 1999, Bin Laden's priority was to develop a weapon of mass destruction.

He had acquired radioactive isotopes from the Taleban to do this, officials said, adding that development work on the "dirty bomb" had been going on in a nuclear laboratory in the Afghan city of Herat.

Evidence 'credible'

The government even has al-Qaeda training manuals which detail how to use a dirty bomb to maximum effect.

For a second opinion, the BBC showed some of the material to an expert on al-Qaeda.

"I think this is genuine," said Dr Mustafa Alani, of the Royal United Service Institute.

"It is credible. This is proof that al-Qaeda put a lot of effort into collecting information and educating other members of the organisation.

"It is possible to produce this sort of weapon."

British military personnel worked with intelligence officers to gather material which was taken to Porton Down defence research centre in Wiltshire.

Their conclusion was that al-Qaeda had a small dirty bomb but probably not a full blown nuclear device.

"From nuclear weapons the threat is very, very slim," said Gary Samore, a former US National Security Council member.

To create one, he said, al-Qaeda would have needed to obtain weapons grade nuclear material - a difficult prospect.

Saddam might have that sort of material. Hmmm. - Ivan

"On the other hand, the threat of a dirty bomb or radiological bomb, is much more plausible," he added.

British officials say the "bomb" has never been recovered but at least one leading al-Qaeda weapons expert from Herat is still at large.

Why the British government would release such top secret information has been questioned by some commentators in the Arabic world.

Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor of Al Quds al Arabi, said it was an attempt to revive fears in Britain and the US about 11 September.

"They would like to prove their point that there are links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda," he said.

[prairiebreeze]

*Saddam might have that sort of material. Hmmm. - Ivan*

Supplied by France perhaps? would they be THAT stupid???

[Centurion2000]

FYI. I have little doubt Al Qaeda would try this on either the USA or UK. I suspect we're going to find out they got the radioactive materials from Iraq.

Or possibly North Korea.

[TBall]

Local DC news just reported that some sort of chemical exposure has taken place at the Treasury Dept. They don't know if it will be open tomorrow.

[concerned about politics]

If its this easy to spy on this group, especially around 1999, then why didn't Clinton direct the CIA to do this and get the same intel Britian did. Instead of fire a couple Tomahawks in the general direction of Bin Laden

Because he had security groups busy hunting down bootleg videops for Hollywood.
For Bill Clinton, DNC contributions have always come before national security.

[agent4cia]

hey now some of live in chicago!


this is really not new news, there were reports that some Giitmo prisoner's had radiation burns. Also rumoured that one died of radiation sickness.

[RobbyS]

Hope he doesn't use it next month, because I am taking a vacation in England then.

[CatoRenasci]

I think we should tell them that if a nuke is used by the Arab terrorists or Saddam, we will nuke Mecca, Median, Qom (in Iran, an Islamic holy city), Baghdad, Damascus, Cairo, Tripoli, and every other center of their religion. The entire world of Islam will be returned to the Stone Age.

[txradioguy]

"The entire world of Islam will be returned to the Stone Age."


Have you seen how the Shia sect of this religon lives? They're IN the Stone Age already! LOL!

[nocommies]

shrillary already has!

[Man of the Right]

They got the dirty bomb, but down South here, we've got the dirty bird.

Seriously, under Bush the Islamists will get one shot, at most. After first use of a weapon of mass destruction, citizens of the country the radiation is traced to won't need a night light to visit the bathroom at night, they'll glow in the dark. During the State of the Union address, Bush reiterated the mantra "I will defend the American people" which he has stated publicly on several occasions since September 11. His tone is about as unthreatening as Luca Brasi in The Godfather. The left thinks he's joking. Thinking he's joking, and acting on it, would be the greatest miscalculation in human history. Somewhere out there, outside North America and the United Kingdom, there is a future sister city for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

[Grampa Dave]

These were MI6 agents from the UK.

The UK didn't deball their intel spooks like the Clinton did with our CIA.

[Timesink]

If its this easy to spy on this group, especially around 1999, then why didn't Clinton direct the CIA to do this and get the same intel Britian did.

Because in 1995, Clinton mindbogglingly ordered the CIA to cease all HUMINT activity with groups considered to be human-rights violators. And needless to say, the Taliban and other Islamist organizations don't get particularly good grades on their report cards in that subject area.

Said rule was not lifted until after 9/11.

[Timesink]

It's more plausible in that it would be far easier to obtain and build. But it is still a stupid idea for a weapon. If you have dirty radioactive materials, you just go spread them around by hand. Using a bomb is stupid because it isn't particularly targetted, wasting you material and calling attention to the event.

And nobody discovers you've done it until everyone in town starts coming down with rare forms of cancer 30 years later. Not really the best way to terrorize a particular population.

[menotyu]

Yeah, he found her a job all right. Strangest thing though, he's trying to find her a job and she's the one that ends up giving him one,.. two or was it, ... I'll have to read the Starr report again.

[MinorityRepublican]

I am of the opinion we will have to tell the Arabs that if one of these goes off in a Western city, we will nuke Mecca in retaliation. We'll give them time to get their people out, but such an attack can only be met by vapourising the centre of their religion.

I don't think Turkey, an ally of the Americans would appreciate that.

[Jerez2]

"... secret intelligence from agents sent into al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan by Britain. Posing as recruits, they blended in and reported back. They revealed that Osama Bin Laden's weapons programme was further on than anyone thought. British officials said on Thursday Bin Laden now has the expertise and possibly the materials to build a crude radioactive bomb..."

This is startling: if these agents/fake recruits can get in and report back, and they say BIN LADEN now has the expertise/materials for a bomb for BIN LADEN's program... does that mean that these agents actually saw Bin Laden? If that's not what was meant, why didn't they say that AL QUAEDA has the materials etc?

And if British agents can get in and find Bin Laden, why can't the US? Why can't we use the intel we get from these guys to go get him?

What am I missing? Maybe just making wrong assumptions or reading too much into the words, but those words BIN LADEN just jumped out at me!

[bonesmccoy]

It is disappointing to read this report. After all, North Korea has plutonium. Kinda sucks when the "Axis" has WMDs.

[bonesmccoy]

If Israel gets gassed, nuked, or bio'd; I'm pretty certain that they will retalliate with a nuke or at least a massive conventional strike.

I just hope Israel won't nuke if our teams are in Baghdad.

[MadIvan]

Supplied by France perhaps? would they be THAT stupid???

Why not, the French built Saddam's first nuclear reactor (quickly taken out by the Israelis, mind you).

Regards, Ivan