Al Qaeda Would Use Unconventional Arms if It Could, Report Says

Al Qaeda would like to use chemical and biological weapons but does not have the technological expertise to do so, a new U.N. report concludes.

The report, drawn up by an independent panel and distributed to Security Council members Friday, says the arms embargo against the Al Qaeda terrorist network is ineffective and global efforts to cut off funds for terrorists are faltering.

The report describes the Middle East as awash in illegal weapons, with many nations unable to control trafficking across their borders. In particular, it says arms smugglers are using Somalia and Yemen as “turntable countries” for business in the area and recommends a regional, not just international, approach to curbing trafficking.

The five-member committee, without providing concrete evidence, concluded that Al Qaeda “undoubtedly” was still considering the use of chemical and biological weapons and had “already taken the decision” to do so in forthcoming attacks.

“The only restraint they are facing is the technical complexity to operate them properly,” the panel said.

The lack of know-how in the use of unconventional weapons was the main reason Al Qaeda was still trying to develop explosive devices such as bombs designed to avoid scanner machines, the report added.

The panel is working under a resolution approved by the U.N. Security Council within weeks of the Sept. 11 attacks and another measure passed last January.

They require the 191 U.N. members to freeze assets and bar travel by and weapons to individuals or groups on a U.N. list who are suspected of having ties to Al Qaeda or Afghanistan’s former Taliban rulers.