Interpol mobilises against bioterror

More than 400 delegates from at least 120 countries "will discuss the risk of bio-terror attacks, case studies, prevention of attacks, preparation and training of law enforcement personnel, and the related legal and political framework," Interpol said in a statement.

Interpol's role is to raise awareness and link the world's police and medical services in light of a lack of information and a tendency to underestimate the threat, said Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble.

"After 9/11 and the investigations on al-Qaeda, we know now that the terrorists have investigated the possibility using nuclear materials to make weapons, how to use bio-agents and also the chemicals," Noble told AFP.

"Now we have to let our imagination run wild and prepare for anything," he added.

"From the anthrax attacks (in the United States in 2001) we know that a small amount of a bio-agent can have an extraordinary global impact, beyond the target area. That's why Interpol believes it has a central role to play."

With an annual operating budget of 37 million euros, mostly from the 182 member states, Interpol called on the private sector to finance the March 1-2 conference and the recent creation of a special anti-bioterrorism unit.

The organisation received a near one-million-dollar subsidy from the New York-based Sloan Foundation founded by Alfred P. Sloan, former head of General Motors.