Europe’s most senior terrorism expert has warned Isis extremists could soon turn to biological warfare, using drones to spread lethal viruses, like reported by standard.co.uk.
Speaking at a conference in London, Gilles de Kerchove, the EU’scounterterrorism co-ordinator, said terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and Isis will soon turn to constructing biological weapons in their own homes.
The Times reports Mr Kerchove told the Royal United Services Institute that the first edition of Inspire, al-Qaeda’s online magazine, had an article on “how to make a bomb in your mum’s kitchen”.
He claimed the next step could be “a similar article on how to process a virus in your mum’s kitchen”. He also warned the terrorists could use drones to spread such infections.
Underlining the threat of Isis’s online presence, Theresa May’sdeputy national security adviser, Patrick McGuinness, told the conference: The online space is the frontline.
“Until Isis cannot occupy space online freely, we will not be safe…The speed with which people are brought to violence is almost too fast to catch.”
Mr McGuinness said major social media companies – such as Twitter and Facebook – were co-operating to take down extremists but he was “not convinced” they were doing everything they could.
“These companies have got it in them to resolve this issue very substantially and free us largely in this space.”
