Al-Qaedas weapons of mass destruction

Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network remains bent on getting nuclear and biological weapons to unleash apocalyptic destruction, a new White House report on national security warned October 9. The report, which called for redoubled anti-terror coordination at all levels of government, said Al-Qaeda remains "the most serious and dangerous manifestation" of extremist threats against the United States. "We also must never lose sight of Al-Qaeda's persistent desire for weapons of mass destruction, as the group continues to try to acquire and use chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear material," it said. The White House called anew on the Democratic-led Congress to expand the power of US intelligence agencies to eavesdrop on suspected terrorists "while protecting the civil liberties of Americans." And following the administration's failure to push immigration reform through Congress, the report called for improved capacity to find and expel illegal aliens, "including criminals and potential terrorists." The appraisal followed a "National Intelligence Estimate" in July that warned that Al-Qaeda is back in business, sparking Democratic complaints that the war in Iraq has proven a dangerous distraction. The NIE, which prefigured much of Tuesday's report, said Al-Qaeda had regrouped in Pakistan "and would not hesitate" to use weapons of mass destruction on the United States.