West Offers Window for Spectacular ISIS Attack

NewsmaxTV
April 1, 2016

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[Start transcript]
Ed Berliner: They are worried after the Brussels attacks about what may happen with ISIS. Investigators say some of the suspects in the attacks videotaped the comings and goings of a top Belgian nuclear scientist. We are now sitting in a different world, Pete. Is it possible, well let me stop – of course it's possible, but how possible is it that ISIS is right now focusing on that, that they're trying to find fissionable material somewhere and get their hands on it?
Pete Hoekstra: Well all the indications are that they want to create bigger and bigger attacks, sure, they'll take the isolated events of 30 people in Belgium, 130 in Paris, but if they could pull off something big and spectacular, they want to do it. And Europe and the United States are providing them the window of opportunity to actually do it, because we're not serious about confronting the threats. As long as they have a caliphate in Syria and in Iraq, and Libya, they have the means and the ability to put together the preparations for that kind of an attack.
Berliner: We have about a minute left here, Pete. I talked about fissionable material, not necessarily making a weapon, a bomb, if you will, a dirty bomb, something small, just having enough material to basically create chaos and kill tens-of-thousands. How much fissionable material is there out there in the world and we don't know where it is?
Hoekstra: Oh, I think there is a tremendous amount out there, when you put it in regards to how much you actually need to have to make a bomb that can have the kind of results that you're talking about, there's plenty of that material floating around and there's a lot of that material that we have no idea where it is.
Berliner: How much material are we talking about? Ounces, pounds?
Hoekstra: I don't know the specific amounts, I don't remember going back to my days on the Intel Committee. All I know is that you know we consistently were briefed and saying this material is out there, it may be available, it doesn't take a lot to get the kind of results that you're talking about.
Berliner: That's the key, it doesn't take it a lot. It can be very small, and there's a lot of this floating around countries like Pakistan and Iraq, correct?
Hoekstra: There's a lot floating around North Korea, Pakistan, Iran, people that might be willing to give it to these terrorist organizations, or where they have some connections where they maybe can identify it and raid for it and actually get it.
Berliner: There is the key, the people who are willing to work with the killers, which means we have another link in the chain that we've got to get to every single day. Pete Hoekstra, always a pleasure my friend. Thanks so much for joining us.
Hoekstra: Thanks, Ed.
[End transcript]

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