London: Dreaded terror outfit ISIS is now planning to carry out nuclear attacks by acquiring weapons, a leading international think tank has said, highlighting the threat of ISIS.
Moshe Kantor, the president of the International Luxembourg Forum said, “ISIS has already carried out numerous chemical weapons attacks in Syria; we know it wants to go further by carrying out a nuclear attack in the heart of Europe.
These, combined with poor levels of security at a host of nuclear research centres in the former Soviet Union mean the threat of a possible 'dirty-bomb' attack on a Western capital is high.”
According to the warning from the organisation that includes former ministers and senior officials from Russia and the West said that there are chances of terror attack during the impending Euro 2016 football championship in France.
“Their previous documented attempts to gain access to a nuclear power station in Belgium are evidence of their intent,” said Dr. Kantor at an international conference in Amsterdam.
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“The terrorists don't necessarily have to use a 'dirty bomb'. We are not just talking about stolen nuclear material, using conventional explosives in a nuclear plant, such as smuggling in a bomb, would have catastrophic consequences,” he further added.
Indicating that the threat of nuclear terrorism was a highly significant and complex issue, Former British defence secretary Des Browne said that this issue needed unified international response.
Browne, who is also a member of the forum and vice-chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) said, “It shouldn't be a surprise that if terrorists get hold of nuclear material they will try to use it, we also know that they are seeking such material, there were reports, for example, of ISIS getting hold of uranium when they captured Mosul.”
“It isn't that hard to build a 'dirty bomb'. They may not kill that many people with such a bomb, but the effect on the environment, the infrastructure and the psychological impact on people would be devastating. They can also use cyber warfare to target a nuclear facility,” he further added.
Ben Rhodes, “We know that terrorist organisations have the desire to get access to these raw materials and to have a nuclear device.”
