Fanatics' 'cells' in nuke bid

BRITAIN is at a heightened risk of attack from dirty bombs and Pakistan-trained fanatics grouped in sleeper cells in the UK, the Government warned .

Trafficking of material for use in radiological and even nuclear weapons has increased — and instructions on making them is widely available on the internet.
A Home Office report warned: “Terrorists will continue to aspire to develop or steal and then to use chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons.”

The biggest threat “by far” is from Brits trained in terror in Pakistan, a senior government security source said.

A top-level report also claimed al-Qaida could splinter into several factions as ever more deadly groups spring up to follow Osama bin Laden’s lead.

Three-quarters of the 2,000 terror suspects in the UK have links to Pakistan.

They may use guns, not bombs, like the killers of 173 in Mumbai, India.
Revealing Britain’s counter-terrorism strategy, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said the “threat” to Britain was rated as “severe” — meaning an attack is highly likely but not imminent.
She revealed 60,000 civilians would be trained to respond to terror threats.

Ms Smith, who met Met police chief Sir Paul Stephenson before the announcement, said the UK must “keep evolving” ways to tackle “developing” threats.

By 2011, Britain will be spending £3.5billion a year on counter-­terrorism. The number of police deployed on counter-terror work had risen since 2003 from 1,700 to 3,000, while the security service MI5 had doubled in size over the same period.

Meanwhile Ms Smith said the public should “challenge” people who use freedom of speech laws as a cover for causing moral outrage.Using protesters who insulted Brit war heroes in Luton, Beds, as an example, she called on the public to tell them they “are wrong”.