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Britain concerned about possible chemical attacks from returning radicals

“Somebody could go to a waste site where people chuck away fridges and get a whole bunch of these [chlorine canisters] and blow them up," Col. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon said about using chlorine as a weapon.

By Doug G. Ware
Security experts are becoming more concerned about the possibility of chemical attacks launched by British citizens in the United Kingdom after returning from Iraq and Syria, where they fought with the Islamic State. The group might even be training them to launch gas attacks on their homeland, officials say. Photo: UPI/Pat Benic
Security experts are becoming more concerned about the possibility of chemical attacks launched by British citizens in the United Kingdom after returning from Iraq and Syria, where they fought with the Islamic State. The group might even be training them to launch gas attacks on their homeland, officials say. Photo: UPI/Pat Benic | License Photo

LONDON, May 24 (UPI) -- Counterterrorism officials are growing more concerned with the potential of homegrown terrorists launching chemical attacks within Britain's borders, after they return from fighting in Iraq and Syria.

The major concern, though, is chlorine -- an odorless and tasteless chemical that can be deadly if inhaled. In Britain, it is freely available to anyone without a license and a great number of Mideast terrorists use chlorine in their explosive devices.

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"As more jihadists return to this country there is a growing chance [of a chlorine bomb attack]" chemical weapons expert Col. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon told The Times. "That to me puts it through the threshold where we should look into this seriously."

In fact, British residents can buy large quantities of chlorine -- 90 tonnes -- without a license. Meanwhile, the chemical is tightly regulated and available in limited amounts in Iraq, the Telegraph reported Sunday.

There are multiple ways to use chlorine as a weapon, and some of them are very easy, security experts warn.

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"Somebody could go to a waste site where people chuck away fridges and get a whole bunch of these [chlorine canisters] and blow them up," de Bretton-Gordon said.

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Terror groups like the Islamic State have recently encouraged followers to strike in their home country to advance the Islamic cause. As a result, nations like Britain and the United States have seen and will likely continue to see a rise in homegrown terror.

Chlorine as a weapon isn't a new idea. Soldiers widely used the chemical to fight during World War I.

Chlorine and other chemical agents have the capacity to induce terror, perhaps making them a perfect fit for the Islamic State, the Guardian reported.

De Bretton-Gordon believes there is evidence that some foreign fighters among the terrorists' are being trained in the use of chlorine gas in preparation for possible attacks against British targets upon their return.

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