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Interpol Chief Calls for Increased Southeast Asian Cooperation on Preventing Bioterror
Southeast Asian nations need to boost their cooperation against the threat of bioterrorism, the head of Interpol said yesterday (see GSN, March 27). While the organization does not know of any specific threats, terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda have trained for biological warfare in Afghanistan, said Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble. “I have no idea where a bioterrorist attack would occur but what we do know is that al-Qaeda was based in Asia,” Noble said at a bioterrorism preparedness conference in Singapore, according to Agence France-Presse. “The threat is real because al-Qaeda and the terrorist groups continue to talk about mass casualties,” he said. Noble said al-Qaeda training in Afghanistan “involved discussions, planning and engaging in bioterrorist attacks.” He said tougher legislation, improved police training and regional information sharing are needed, AFP reported (see GSN, Feb. 17). “What needs to be done is first, countries need to determine whether or not their laws permit police and prosecutors to investigate activities that could result in the actual manufacture of bioterrorist weapons,” Noble said. “Legislation is absolutely important,” he said (Agence France-Presse/Khaleej Times, March 27).
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