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Islamic State says it can soon buy nuclear weapon, smuggle it into U.S.

"[Terrorists] are mingling with another 12 million ‘illegal’ aliens in America with a nuclear bomb in the trunk," British journalist and hostage John Cantlie wrote in the Islamic State's propaganda magazine, Dabiq.

By Doug G. Ware

LONDON, May 24 (UPI) -- By this time next year, the Islamic State may have fulfilled the most feared scenario defense officials can come up with -- terrorists with nukes -- a British journalist has written.

In its online English language propaganda publication, Dabiq, the Islamic group said it has accumulated enough wealth that it can buy a nuclear weapon and possibly sneak it into the United States within the next 12 months.

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The group laid out the concept in a self-congratulating, likely exaggerated article that outlines the nuclear possibility. The report states that the weapon could theoretically be purchased in Pakistan and smuggled into the United States via its southern border with Mexico.

The story, titled "The Perfect Storm," attributes the story to John Cantlie, a British photojournalist who ISIS took hostage in November 2012. Since his abduction, he has appeared in numerous videos -- appearing both as a hostage and later as an advocate.

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"Let me throw a hypothetical operation onto the table. The Islamic State has billions of dollars in the bank, so they call on their wilayah (Province) in Pakistan to purchase a nuclear device through weapons dealers with links to corrupt officials in the region," Cantlie wrote. "The weapon is then transported overland until it makes it to Libya, where the mujahidin move it south to Nigeria."

"Drug shipments from Columbia bound for Europe pass through West Africa, so moving other types of contraband from East to West is just as possible," he added.

The weapon and accompanying radicals, Cantlie states, would then move up through Central America and Mexico before entering the United States.

"From there it's a quick hop through a smuggling tunnel and hey presto, they're mingling with another 12 million 'illegal' aliens in America with a nuclear bomb in the trunk," he wrote.

National security experts have long feared such a scenario, as they say it would combine two of the most dangerous elements on Earth at the present time -- hardline religious anarchists and a weapon that could achieve mass murder on a global scale.

However, those analysts agree that such a scenario is extremely unlikely to occur -- at least at the present time. That's a point of view Cantlie even shares, himself.

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The news also underscores the long-standing problems involved in U.S. border security -- particularly Mexico's -- where radical Islamic fighters have regularly attempted to gain entry to the United States in the past.

As part of the overall strategy of terrorists, Cantlie stated, all militant Islamist groups across the Middle East, Africa and Asia should join to create one global movement.

IS claims in the piece that it has billions of dollars at its disposal, but it's not officially known exactly how much money the group might really have. Analysts view the article as a greatly exaggerated media piece designed to intimidate its enemies and recruit Muslims to join their fight.

The group has executed numerous Western hostages in recent months as part of its intimidation campaign -- and is even now beginning to use child militants to commit the murders.

Cantlie is a British photographer who was abducted in Syria by Islamic State terrorists along with American journalist James Foley, who was executed in August. Cantlie remains alive and the group has used him in a number of media endeavors.

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In many of his videos, Cantlie criticizes Western powers and makes statements sympathetic to the Islamic State. However, officials aren't sure if he is being forced to make the statements or whether he truly believes them. His sister told a newspaper last year that she estimates Cantlie believes two-thirds of what he says in the videos.

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