Meter-thick concrete walls and 1950s-style analog control rooms help protect nuclear plants from bomb attacks and computer hackers, but Islamist militants are turning their attention to the atomic industry’s weak spots, security experts say. Concerns about nuclear terrorism rose after Belgian media reported that suicide bombers who killed 32 people in Brussels on March 22 originally looked into attacking a nuclear installation before police raids that netted a number of suspected associates forced them to switch targets. Security experts say that blowing up a nuclear reactor is beyond the skills of militant groups, but that the nuclear industry has some vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
Reuters 30th March 2016 read more »
Since President Barack Obama initiated the Nuclear Security Summit process in 2010, leaders from around the world have joined the effort to prevent nuclear terrorism. The process has fostered international cooperation that has delivered tangible improvements to global nuclear security and reduced the threat of nuclear terrorism. Similarly, the Summit has inspired collaboration across a broader community. Representatives from government, nuclear industry, and civil society have come together to complement the official process. Strengthening nuclear security in an age of globalization requires not only the cooperation of governments, but also concentrated efforts by those outside of government with relevant expertise.
Nuclear Security Summit 30th March 2016 read more »
Small battlefield nuclear weapons developed by Pakistan could fall into the hands of terrorists if the country does not do more to secure its arsenal, leading western powers have warned. Fears about the vulnerability of Pakistan’s missiles emerged on the eve of the nuclear security summit in Washington, which will discuss the threat of Islamic State acquiring nuclear materials. For the first time, the summit will include a simulation of a nuclear terrorist attack.
Times 1st April 2016 read more »
US President Barack Obama called world leaders together for a nuclear security summit in Washington. They’re trying to stop an Armageddon – and dirty bombs. Footage of a Belgian nuclear official was found in the belongings of a suspect in the militant attacks in Paris in November. Then members of a bombing ring blew themselves up Brussels, killing 35 people in a March attack, and raised fears about a future attack. Specifically, security experts worry that members of the so-called Islamic State group or another militant organisation are trying to get a hold of material to make a dirty bomb, a devise that uses ordinary explosives to spread radioactive material over a large area.
BBC 1st April 2016 read more »