ISIS PLOTS UK RICIN TERROR
Jihadis ‘making bio-weapons’
SPY chiefs fear terrorists are developing biological weapons in secret UK labs.
MI5 believes Islamic State fanatics back from Iraq and Syria are attempting to make deadly ricin and anthrax.
Both poisons – which could kill hundreds of people – can be made by anyone with basic scientific knowledge, according to senior intelligence sources.
It is feared the terrorists could use them to poison food in supermarkets or contaminate water supplies.
The warning follows mounting concerns by security chiefs that the UK is not prepared for even a basic bio-terror attack.
The new threat comes as one senior intelligence source revealed that security agencies are now disrupting up to one terror plot every month.
Last week, Prince Harry and his wife-to-be Meghan Markle were at the centre of an anthrax scare after a letter with a white powder was sent to Kensington Palace.
Specialists were rushed in to check the substance, which was found to be harmless.
Last night a source said: “We know that al-Qaida terrorists have tried to manufacture ricin in the UK in the past. We now suspect members of IS based in the UK are attempting to do the same.”
They added: “The use of chemical and biological weapons by Islamic State is a threat which is being treated very seriously.
“These are weapons which are relatively easy to manufacture but can have deadly consequences.
“We know that British citizens who fought with IS in Iraq and Syria were trained in a number of terrorist tactics including the development of basic bio-weapons.”
Last week it emerged that British soldiers on short notice to mobilise will be vaccinated against anthrax and other deadly diseases.
Two years ago an EU report emerged which said IS had the capability to carry out a chemical or biological attack in Europe.