Al Qaeda sought nuclear weapon

Looks like Saddam wasn't the only one looking for nuclear weapons.

OSLO (Reuters) - The head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog said in an interview that al Qaeda and other extremist groups had sought to obtain a nuclear weapon, Norwegian television has reported.

"They were actively looking into acquiring a nuclear weapon and other weapons of mass destruction," Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in an interview in Vienna with Norway's commercial TV 2 channel on Saturday.

TV 2 said that ElBaradei's remarks referred to the al Qaeda network, blamed for the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, and other extremist groups.

Its website quoted ElBaradei as saying that proof had been found in Afghanistan, where U.S.-led-troops toppled the Taliban government in 2001 after it refused to hand over al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

"I would be surprised if they did not try to acquire nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. That would be the most horrible scenario because these extremist groups -- if they have the weapon, they will use it," ElBaradei said.

He said there was a "race against time" to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and plug gaps in the security of atomic weapons and materials.

"The more nuclear weapons that exist, the more threat we are facing. And the more countries that have nuclear weapons, the more danger we are facing," ElBaradei said.

All of which raises some interesting questions.

Which "other extremist groups" and what "other weapons of mass destruction" is ElBaradei referring to?

If ElBaradei is so concerned about more countries getting "the bomb", why doesn't he take more action against Iran?
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