Bioterror Threat Real, Interpol Chief Says
Global Security Newswire
There is no denying the threat of bioterrorism, Interpol chief Ronald Noble said today at a workshop organized by his agency in Singapore (see GSN, March 24).
"Some people still question whether the threat of bioterrorism is real, they question whether it is truly necessary to prepare for it. I have no doubt that the threat is real," he said.
"If we have the chance to take measures to protect the citizens of our nations, to help reduce the chances of our countries of becoming a target, then we have a duty to do so," he said. "Police around the world are now also beginning to recognize and respond to this threat."
The three-day Interpol conference will offer information on laboratory security, forensic efforts and laws aimed at preventing bioterrorism, the Associated Press reported.
Law enforcement agencies should coordinate their efforts against bioterrorism, said Ho Peng Kee, Singapore's senior minister of state for law and home affairs.
"We may not realize that a biological attack has occurred until days or even weeks later," he said. "By that time, the terrorist may already have fled the country or succumbed to the biological agent, and all the valuable investigative leads may have disappeared."
Southeast Asian terror groups have not used biological agents in attacks. However, a Malaysian biochemist has been connected to al-Qaeda's biological and chemical weapons development efforts, and a manual found in the Philippines indicated that the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah was interested in using biological of chemical weapons, AP reported (Christopher Torchia, Associated Press, March 27).
High temperatures and population density and inadequate public health infrastructure make Southeast Asia vulnerable to a major bioterrorism incident, AP reported. Countries in the region are subject to quickly spreading infections and epidemics, health officials said.
Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and other nations need to improve laws against bioterrorism, said Barry Kellman, a weapons control expert at the DePaul University College of Law in Chicago.
The United States believes North Korea has a biological weapons program and fears that weak regulations in China could promote proliferation of dual-use technology that could be used to produce biological weapons, AP reported (Christopher Torchia, Associated Press/Washington Post, March 25).
There is no denying the threat of bioterrorism, Interpol chief Ronald Noble said today at a workshop organized by his agency in Singapore (see GSN, March 24).
"Some people still question whether the threat of bioterrorism is real, they question whether it is truly necessary to prepare for it. I have no doubt that the threat is real," he said.
"If we have the chance to take measures to protect the citizens of our nations, to help reduce the chances of our countries of becoming a target, then we have a duty to do so," he said. "Police around the world are now also beginning to recognize and respond to this threat."
The three-day Interpol conference will offer information on laboratory security, forensic efforts and laws aimed at preventing bioterrorism, the Associated Press reported.
Law enforcement agencies should coordinate their efforts against bioterrorism, said Ho Peng Kee, Singapore's senior minister of state for law and home affairs.
"We may not realize that a biological attack has occurred until days or even weeks later," he said. "By that time, the terrorist may already have fled the country or succumbed to the biological agent, and all the valuable investigative leads may have disappeared."
Southeast Asian terror groups have not used biological agents in attacks. However, a Malaysian biochemist has been connected to al-Qaeda's biological and chemical weapons development efforts, and a manual found in the Philippines indicated that the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah was interested in using biological of chemical weapons, AP reported (Christopher Torchia, Associated Press, March 27).
High temperatures and population density and inadequate public health infrastructure make Southeast Asia vulnerable to a major bioterrorism incident, AP reported. Countries in the region are subject to quickly spreading infections and epidemics, health officials said.
Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and other nations need to improve laws against bioterrorism, said Barry Kellman, a weapons control expert at the DePaul University College of Law in Chicago.
The United States believes North Korea has a biological weapons program and fears that weak regulations in China could promote proliferation of dual-use technology that could be used to produce biological weapons, AP reported (Christopher Torchia, Associated Press/Washington Post, March 25).
