IAEA head warns of ‘dirty bomb’ terror threat

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency has warned of the threat of terrorists getting their hands on radioactive material to make “dirty” bombs.

Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agenc, says all countries should secure material which extremists could use to make such a device.

“Nuclear security is a longstanding and real issue. This is a real threat in all countries where nuclear material is available to terrorists,” he says during a visit to the Philippines for an atomic energy conference.

“If nuclear material falls into the hands of terrorists, that can be used for dirty bombs,” he says, referring to devices that use explosives to spread radioactive material over a wide area to poison people.

Amano says such devices, which are much easier to make than an atomic bomb, could cause widespread panic if unleashed in a city.

— AFP