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Atomic watchdog sees greater risk

A German riot policeman stands guard in front of the nuclear power plant at Philippsburg near Karlsruhe, in the German state of Baden Wuerttemberg. PHOTO: REUTERS

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said the ruthlessness of the Sept. 11 attacks on the US showed that an act of nuclear terrorism was "far more likely" than previously thought. "The willingness of terrorists to sacrifice their lives to achieve their evil aims creates a new dimension in the fight against terrorism," IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei told journalists in Vienna on Wednesday.

ElBaradei, whose Vienna-based UN agency sets world standards for nuclear security, said the concern was no longer limited to the possibility of governments diverting nuclear materials into clandestine weapons programs.

"Now we have been alerted to the potential of terrorists targeting nuclear facilities or using radioactive sources to incite panic, contaminate property and even cause injury or death among civilian populations," he said.

Experts from around the world have gathered at the IAEA's headquarters this week to discuss security. In the light of the Sept. 11 attacks, they have added an extra session on Friday devoted solely to the issue of nuclear terrorism.

ElBaradei called on countries around the world to take a careful inventory of the security risks at their nuclear power plants and other facilities and to spend the money necessary to ensure that they can prevent or withstand terrorist attacks.

Although there are no confirmed cases of terrorists using a nuclear weapon, ElBaradei said there was concern at reports that some militant groups had attempted to acquire nuclear material. These included al-Qaeda, the group run by Osama bin Laden and blamed by Washington for the attacks on the US.

Since 1993, there have been 175 known cases of trafficking in nuclear material and 201 cases of trafficking in other radioactive sources, such as those used for medical or industrial purposes.

But only 18 of these cases have actually involved highly enriched uranium or plutonium, the material needed to produce an atomic bomb. The IAEA believes the quantities involved to be insufficient to construct a nuclear explosive device.

"However, any such materials in illicit commerce and conceivably accessible to terrorist groups is deeply troubling," ElBaradei said.

The IAEA estimates that there has been a sixfold increase in nuclear material in peaceful programs worldwide since 1970.

There are 438 nuclear power reactors around the world, 651 research reactors, of which 284 are in operation, and 250 fuel cycle plants, including uranium mills and plants that convert, enrich, store and re-process nuclear material.

Additionally, tens of thousands of radiation sources are used in medicine, industry, agriculture and research.

While the level of security at nuclear facilities is generally considered to be very high, the IAEA believes the security of medical and industrial radiation sources is disturbingly weak in some countries.
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