Interpol holds bioterrorism workshop

The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) held a workshop on Friday in Lyon, France, to enhance the capacity of authorities in Iraq to better prevent, detect and respond to biological threats.

“I am confident this workshop will deepen our levels of awareness – not just on the dangers posed by the possible use of a bioterror weapon in Iraq, but also raise awareness on the absolute necessity of experts working together and reaching out to different agencies and stakeholders to respond in a rapid and integrated manner,” Sirine Hijal, first secretary of political affairs in Canada’s French Embassy, said. “This will help strengthen our collective capacity to prepare and respond to terrorist activities across shared borders and in the broader international context.”

The workshop was attended by the Iraqi National Monitoring Authority (INMA); the Ministry of Defense; specialized chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives (CBRNE) teams; and representatives from the science, technology, health and agriculture centers.

Objectives of the workshop included increasing awareness of current terrorist threats and capabilities, building knowledge on biosecurity and role of law enforcement, discussing critical effects of regional and global instability, conducting training and biological detection equipment presumptive analysis on site, increasing communication between organizations responsible for coordinating biological incident investigations, and enhancing coordination and cooperation on issues relating to information sharing, threat and risk assessment, law enforcement operations and interagency collaboration.