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Islamabad: The poisoning of a retired Russian agent living in the UK acted as “big neon advertisement” to jihadists for the power of chemical attacks, an al-Qaeda insider turned British spy has said, as terrorists again appear to be pursuing the tactic.
Aimen Dean said the use of chemicals and poisons in alleged plots in recent months showed chemical terrorism was a growing risk.
Islamic State has taken a renewed interest in poison.
Photo: AP
The former jihadist, who took part in experiments to develop chemical devices in the late 1990s, said that the collapse of IS’s territory could encourage militants to use the weapons again.
Widespread news coverage of the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and Yulia, his daughter, with a military-grade nerve agent, coupled with the disruption and cost of the clean-up, had shown the propaganda potential of chemicals, he said.
Dean says he spent years as a jihadist in the 1990s. His revulsion at al-Qaeda’s targeting of civilians led him to offer his services to British intelligence and become a spy inside the movement for MI6 and MI5.
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