Global Security Newswire

Interpol last week provided bioterrorism defense training for 38 officials from more than a dozen nations, who are expected to share the lessons learned in the five-day course in their home countries (see GSN, March 21, 2007).

The "train the trainer" program was offered from Feb. 15 to 19 in New Zealand to representatives from the host country and American Samoa, Bhutan, Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Laos, Maldives, Macao, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, and Timor Leste, according to an Interpol press release.

Participants will now "spread awareness about countering the bioterrorist threat, identify strategies and resource gaps, forge subregional communications and cooperation and recommend law-reform measures to fill in statutory gaps," the release states.

“This is what the Interpol prevention of bioterrorism program is about. Supporting and assisting countries to be better prepared to prevent bioterrorism. To help them understand the issues better; to assist in developing their national plans, to train all staff and to exercise all the agencies and government departments that will be involved. And to understand what assistance can be expected internationally,” John Abbot, head of the international police organization's Bioterrorism Steering Group Committee, said in the release.

He called the threat of bioterrorism "real" (see GSN, Jan. 26).

“Terrorist groups have talked of developing the capability of using biological weapons," Abbot said. "There is evidence of terrorist groups and individuals experimenting and using bioweapons, and the increasing development of the biosciences is providing a range of potential opportunities for such people or groups" (Interpol release, Feb. 23).