UN says attacks on nuclear facilities now 'far more likely'

It is "far more likely" that terrorists will target nuclear facilities in the wake of the September 11th attacks in the US, a UN nuclear watchdog has said.

The warning comes after it emerged yesterday that two RAF Tornado fighter aircraft were "scrambled" over Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in Cumbria during a five-hour security alert at the weekend.

The Director General Mr Mohamed ElBaradei of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the world needs a combined effort to protect nuclear installations against "nuclear terrorism".

He said the September 11th attacks have made it "far more likely" that terrorists will target nuclear facilities.

Experts from around the world have been meeting at the IAEA in Vienna since October Monday. Tomorrow a special session on will focuses on the issue of combating nuclear terrorism.

"The willingness of terrorists to sacrifice their lives to achieve their evil aims creates a new dimension in the fight against terrorism," Mr ElBaradei said.

"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."

"An unconventional threat requires an unconventional response, and the whole world needs to join together and take responsibility for the security of nuclear material".

"Because radiation knows no frontiers, States need to recognise that safety and security of nuclear material is a legitimate concern of all States. Countries must demonstrate, not only to their own populations, but to their neighbours and the world that strong security systems are in place", he added.

The security alert over Sellafield was later being treated as a hoax.

A spokesman for Cumbria police told The Irish Timesthat a telephone call was made "directly" to the police about a possible threat to the nuclear power plant. But a spokeswoman for the British Ministry of Defence said the aircraft were scrambled on Saturday and that the alert was treated sufficiently seriously to deploy the Tornados.

In the US security around nuclear facilities has been tightened. The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily banned small private airplanes from flying near the 103 nuclear power plants around the US.

France has positioned missiles at its nuclear installations.