Al-Qaida, top threat, CIA's Hayden says

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Al-Qaida is the top priority for U.S. spy agencies, while Iran and North Korea are threats because of their nuclear resources, CIA chief Michael Hayden said.

Hayden said al-Qaida pose the greatest security threat to the United States because al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has said he intends to attack the country, the Voice of America reported Wednesday.

"Bin Laden has said repeatedly that he considers acquisition of nuclear weapons a religious duty," Hayden said. "And we know that al-Qaida remains determined to attack our country in ways that inflict maximum death and destruction."

During his remarks to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, the CIA director said North Korea is a threat because its nuclear program and because it is a black-market supplier of nuclear technology. Iran remains a threat because it has the capability to produce nuclear weapons, he said.