"The European Union and its Member States must prepare for the possibility of a chemical or biological attack on their territory by the self-styled 'Islamic State'" warns a new European Parliament report. The report states ISIS could carry out a future attack with an improvised explosive device (IED) packed with chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) material. It thought ISIS may already have CBRN material within Europe. "ISIS actually has already acquired the knowledge, and in some cases the human expertise, that would allow it to use CBRN materials as weapons of terror" the Director of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Non-Proliferation Centre at NATO, Wolfgang Rudischhauser, stated. ISIS reportedly used chemical weapons in combat against Kurdish positions in Syria. It is said to have seized chemical weapons from old bunkers formerly held by Saddam Hussein. Nuclear material was also taken from the research facility at Mosul University, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The FBI thwarted at least four attempts by ISIS to purchase radioactive materials smuggled through eastern Europe. "We are dealing with a very serious, well-resourced, determined international terrorist organization that is now active on the streets of Europe," said head of Europol, Rob Wainwright. Europol coordinates between EU police forces. "This represents the most serious terrorist threat faced in Europe for 10 years." The report recommended increasing training of security services to deal with a possible CBRN attack and equipping security at sensitive sites such as airports. It also advocated more intensive screening of potential returning foreign fighters to track those believed to have expertise in manufacturing WMDs.
