LOC22:42
19:42 GMT
WASHINGTON, April 12 (KUNA) -- Al Qaeda is especially notable for its long-standing interest in acquiring weapons-usable nuclear material and the requisite expertise that would allow it to develop a yield-producing, improvised nuclear device, said John Brennan, assistant to President Barack Obama for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, during a briefing on Monday.
"Al Qaeda has been engaged in the effort to acquire a nuclear weapon for over 15 years, and its interest remains strong today," Brennan said in remarks at the Nuclear Security Summit.
"Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups know that if they are able to acquire highly enriched uranium or separated plutonium and turn it into a weapon, they would have the ability not only to threaten our security and world order in an unprecedented manner, but also to kill and injure many thousands of innocent men, women and children, which is Al Qaeda's sole agenda." Disturbingly, international organized criminal syndicates and criminal gangs are keenly aware of the strong interest of terrorist groups to acquire fissile material, which has prompted these criminals to pursue nuclear materials for their own personal gain, Brennan said.
Over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in the sharing of terrorism-related intelligence among nations of the world, to include intelligence on the ways and means used by Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups to pursue their nuclear-weapon ambitions, he said.
"While this intelligence-sharing is invaluable, it must be accompanied by collective and effective action by all nations of the world to deny and to deprive terrorist and criminal groups the opportunity to gain the nuclear-related material and the expertise that would allow them to fulfill their evil goals," Brennan said.
While there are many different nuclear issues that the Obama administration is addressing, there is none more important than this one, Brennan said.
"That is why we are focusing specifically on nuclear terrorism and nuclear security over the next two days, because these issues must be addressed with a sense of focus and urgency," he said. (end) rm.bs KUNA 122242 Apr 10NNNN