Neocon News has previously covered the threat of a nuclear terrorist attack, and given how grave the danger is, I’m always on the lookout for information regarding Al Qaeda’s efforts to obtain nuclear material. Jihad Watch links to this recent article from NDTV today. It’s worth the read for some more background on the topic.

Al-Qaida’s nuclear attack against the US is in planning stages, top American intelligence officials have said.

Deposing before a Congressional Committee on Homeland Security early this week, these US intelligence officials told US lawmakers that the threat of nuclear attack by the Taliban was growing and there is need to enhance its security measures. [...]

Giving details of the Al-Qaida preparation, based on years on intelligence inputs, Mowatt-Larssen said: ”An Al-Qaida nuclear attack would be in the planning stages at the same time as several other plots, and only Al-Qaida’s most senior leadership will know which plot will be approved.”

In keeping with Al-Qaida’s normal management structures such as the role of Khalid Sheikh Muhammad in the 9/11 attacks, Mowatt-Larssen said there is probably a single individual in charge, overseeing the effort to obtain materials and expertise.

The intelligence officials commented that some nuclear experts / scientists may have joined Al-Qaida years ago, long before the world began paying adequate attention to the proliferation of the kinds of technologies that could yield a terrorist nuclear weapon.

Referring to the planning of the 9/11 attack, Mowatt-Larssen said it was operationally very straightforward. ”It had a very small footprint, was highly compartmented. Al-Qaida’s nuclear effort would be just as compartmented and probably would not require the involvement of more than a small number of operatives who carried out 9/11,” he said. [...]

”Beyond the basics I have outlined here, we do not know what a terrorist plot might look like. There is, however, a chokepoint in a terrorist effort to develop a nuclear capability. It is impossible to build a nuclear weapon without fissile material,” he said.

Which is exactly why we must continue our efforts to rein in known rogue states’ nuclear programs. Here’s hoping we have a lot of our best men and women watching this as well.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 at 11:40 AM and is filed under Terrorism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.