Global Security Newswire

Prospects for terrorists acquiring weapons of mass destruction have increased in recent years, a development that requires special attention from intelligence agencies, the British Home Office reported today in a counterterrorism strategy document (see GSN, Jan. 9).

"Contemporary terrorist organizations aspire to use chemical, biological, radiological and even nuclear weapons," assesses the document outlining the nation's CONTEST strategy for battling international terrorism.

"Changing technology and the theft and smuggling of [WMD] materials make this aspiration more realistic than it may have been in the recent past," it adds.

To combat the threat, the strategy recommends four policy goals: pursuing terrorists before they can attack, preventing people from becoming or supporting terrorists, protecting against possible attacks, and preparing for handling an event should one occur (Greg Webb, Global Security Newswire, March 24).

Part of the counterterror effort would involve training tens of thousands of citizens to look out for potential terrorism and to react to an attack, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said today.

Fighting terror is "no longer something you can do behind closed doors and in secret," she said (BBC News, March 24).