Goss fears WMD attack in U.S. 'a matter of time'

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Senior U.S. intelligence leaders told Congress yesterday that "it may only be a matter of time" before terrorists try to use weapons of mass destruction against the United States.

In his first public appearance since becoming CIA director in September, Porter J. Goss used the annual worldwide threat hearing to issue the prediction, while another federal official said the FBI knows little about al Qaeda sleeper cells such as the September 11 terrorists.

"It may be only a matter of time before al Qaeda or another group attempts to use chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons," Mr. Goss told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III testified that he is "very concerned" about the lack of data on a network of al Qaeda "sleeper" cells in the United States.

"Finding them is a top priority for the FBI, but it is also one of the most difficult challenges," he said.

"Because of al Qaeda's directed efforts this year to infiltrate covert operatives into the U.S., I am also very concerned with the growing body of sensitive reporting that continues to show al Qaeda's clear intention to obtain and ultimately use some form of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear or high-energy explosives material in its attacks against America," Mr. Mueller added.

In a related development, a National Intelligence Council (NIC) report made public yesterday stated that terrorists have targeted Russian nuclear weapons storage sites.

In 2002, Russian authorities twice thwarted terrorist efforts to monitor nuclear-weapons storage sites, the report said. Chechen terrorists also have conducted surveillance of Russian rail stations and a train used to move nuclear bombs, said the report from NIC, an analysis group under Mr. Goss.

The report noted that Russian authorities could not have recovered "all the [nuclear] material reportedly stolen."

"We assess that undetected smuggling has occurred, and we are concerned about the total amount of material that could have been diverted or stolen in the last 13 years," the report said.