German intelligence warns of sharp rise in energy attacks

TERRORIST attacks on energy supply facilities worldwide aimed at hindering the delivery of gas and oil have risen sharply, Ernst Uhrlau, the head of the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) - Germany's foreign intelligence service - said on 12 October.

Uhrlau warned: "Today [the attacks] are increasingly focused on limiting the global supply of energy. Around three years ago, the world's energy supply came into the crosshairs of Al-Qaeda, thereby defining attack options for the Islamist terrorist network." He also warned that as oil and gas deposits are gradually depleted, the renaissance of nuclear energy, especially in crisis regions, will raise security questions.