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Internet controlled nuclear attack possible 'within five years,' EU security chief

Internet controlled nuclear attack possible 'within five years,' EU security chief

European Union

The takeover of a nuclear plant by jihadist movements could become a reality in the next five years, the European Union’s counter-terrorism chief said in an interview published Saturday.

“I would not be surprised if there was an attempt in the next five years to use the Internet to commit an attack,” Gilles de Kerchove told daily La Libre Belgique.

“It would take the form of entering the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), which is the nerve centre of a nuclear power plant, a dam, air traffic control centre or railroad switching station,” he added.

His concerns come as Belgium is on high alert following Tuesday’s suicide bombings at Brussels airport and a metro train station that killed 31 people and injured some 300.

Belgium’s neighbours have raised concerns over the country’s creaking nuclear plants for some time, after a series of problems ranging from leaks to cracks and an unsolved sabotage incident.

Brussels terrorists were planning nuclear plant attack https://t.co/szMFBVFsWY

— David Jones (@DavidJo52951945) March 24, 2016

Doel 1, the country’s oldest reactor, was originally shut in February 2015 under a law calling for the country’s gradual phasing out of nuclear power, but the government then restarted it under an extension deal.

According to reports, a security guard at a Belgian nuclear power plant was murdered Thursday and his access badge stolen. Officials were not immediately available to comment.

These reports follow the discovery by investigators last year of surveillance footage of a Belgian nuclear plant official in the flat of a suspect linked to the Brussels and Paris attacks.