New Nuclear Watchdog Aims to Guard Against Terrorist Thefts

An international organization aimed at preventing the theft of nuclear material from reactors around the world that could be used in a catastrophic terrorist attack was launched yesterday in Vienna.

The independent World Institute for Nuclear Security (Wins) is initially funded by the US energy department; an American businessman, Peter Peterson, and the Norwegian government. It will seek to bring nuclear experts, governments and private companies together to improve security at nuclear facilities. Roger Howsley, the former head of security for British Nuclear Fuels, will serve as its first executive director.

Its creation reflects the fears of governments and security experts that terrorist groups such as al-Qaida are seeking nuclear material to carry out an attack on a western city. There are also worries that security is inadequate at some nuclear power stations and research reactors.

Sam Nunn, a former US senator who was instrumental in setting up Wins, told the Guardian: "The threat is dynamic. Every report I've seen says that terrorist groups are seeking nuclear materials."

Officials involved in setting up Wins pointed to a break-in last November at South Africa's Pelindaba nuclear complex, where hundreds of kilograms of highly enriched uranium are stored - enough to make several nuclear bombs. The government said the attackers were "technically sophisticated" and had "prior knowledge of the electronic security systems". The intruders, working in two teams, eventually fled after wounding a supervisor.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog also based in Vienna, has recorded 18 cases of illicit trafficking in weapons-grade nuclear material since 1993. Investigators fear they represent a fraction of what is available on the black market.

The launch of Wins coincided with the IAEA's annual conference, where its director, Mohamed ElBaradei, warned there was a "serious disconnect" between what governments expect it to do and the funds they contribute. "The problems facing the world in the nuclear arena are plain for all of us to see," he said.

Wins will focus initially on stocks of highly enriched uranium or plutonium that could be used to make a nuclear bomb. But Nunn said the new body would also aim to improve the security of radioactive material used in medicine and industry. Such material could be used to make a "dirty bomb" that disperses lethal isotopes over a large area. "That's the most likely kind of incident," said Nunn. "It's a miracle it hasn't already occurred."