Al-Qaida plotting nuclear attack on UK, officials warn

Can't be, according to Nancy Pelosi and company threats are only Republican scare tactics.

British intelligence officials believe that al-Qaida is determined to attack the UK with a nuclear weapon, it emerged yesterday. The announcement, from an officially organised Foreign Office counter-terrorism briefing for the media, was the latest in a series of bleak assessments by senior officials and ministers about the terrorist threat facing Britain.

UK officials have detected "an awful lot of chatter" on jihadi websites expressing the desire to acquire chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons....

The warning comes after a speech last week by the foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, on the terrorist threat facing the UK, and a rare public outing for Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, the head of MI5, who warned that there were at least 30 active plots to attack Britain.

With new counter-terrorism measures to be unveiled in tomorrow's Queen's speech, the weekend saw Gordon Brown back an extension to the time for which terrorism suspects can be held without charge, beyond the current 28 days....