BIN LADEN - Tried to buy uranium--did he succeed?

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SundayTimesUK

Warlord tried to buy uranium

David Leppard

OSAMA Bin Laden, the chief suspect behind the attack on the World Trade Center, has tried at least twice to buy enriched uranium to make a nuclear bomb, according to a former terrorist and Western intelligence.

Evidence of Bin Laden's interest in nuclear technology comes from Jamal Al-Fadl, a former close aide to the terrorist who has become the FBI's main "supergrass" in its investigation of Bin Laden's network. Al-Fadl has been warning the American authorities for the past five years that Bin Laden wanted to declare war on America and might "try to do something inside the United States".

In one affidavit, made while he was in the FBI's protective custody, he spoke of his role in Al-Qaeda, Bin Laden's organisation: "I know from personal observation that Al-Qaeda members and associates attempted to obtain components for nuclear and chemical weapons," he said. "In or about late 1993, Al-Qaeda members made efforts to procure enriched uranium."

Al-Fadl identified a key Bin Laden aide involved in the nuclear procurement programme: "One individual who was involved in this effort was [known as] Abu Hajer, who, after reviewing a document related to the proposed purchase of uranium, indicated that the proposed purchase should proceed."

The affidavit has been served in proceedings issued by the US justice department to extradite two Bin Laden suspects from Britain.

In a separate statement, Al-Fadl also claimed he had been to Khartoum in Sudan to try to buy uranium. He said he was put in touch with an associate of a Sudanese army officer, who offered to sell him a consignment of uranium for $1.5m (£1m).

The man showed him what purported to be uranium, which, he claimed, came from South Africa. The material was in a cylinder about 2ft to 3ft long and 6in in diameter.

Al-Fadl told the FBI he dropped out of the negotiations and never found out if the terror group had succeeded in buying the material. He claimed to have been paid £7,000 as a bonus for his efforts.

The "nightmare scenario" presented by the new type of terrorism was hinted at by Tony Blair in his statement to an emergency session of parliament last week.

"We know they would, if they could, use chemical and biological weapons or even nuclear weapons of mass destruction," Blair said, without giving further details.

Israeli security sources also claimed last week that they had knowledge of a plan by Bin Laden to buy a tactical "suitcase-size" nuclear bomb from Kazakhstan, an Islamic country that was once part of the Soviet Union.

One American newspaper said yesterday that US intelligence officials had received reports that Bin Laden had already acquired "some type of nuclear device".

Although such claims are difficult to assess, there is no doubt that Bin Laden wants such weaponry. In one interview he said: "We don't consider it a crime if we tried to have nuclear, chemical, biological weapons. We have the right to defend ourselves."

Most intelligence analysts believe there are many more Islamic terrorist cells able to inflict further attacks. But many think the most potent threat could come from chemical or biological, rather than nuclear warfare.

One senior Whitehall security source said MI5's main concern was the possibility of terrorists using chemical weapons, as in the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo underground, which killed a dozen people in 1995.

Additional reporting: Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv

-- Anonymous, September 16, 2001


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