Washington: Despite repeated Pakistani denials, US intelligence agency Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has said international terrorist outfit al-Qaida was working with two former Pakistani scientists and is currently capable of conducting attacks with chemical, biological, radiological or even nuclear weapons.

The CIA in a May 2003 report entitled "Terrorist CBRN: Materials and Effects" said al-Qaida was working with former scientists of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Bashir Ud-din Mahmood and Abdul Majeed. These charges have been denied by Pakistani officials.

Handwritten documents uncovered in Afghanistan suggest that al-Qaida's specialists did have nuclear physics and weaponisation knowledge that exceeded the type of information available via open and declassified sources, the study reported in 'Jane's Intelligence Digest' said.

The report said the al-Qaida, and to a lesser extent other terrorist groups, are currently capable of conducting attacks with biological or even nuclear weapons and that it was "a high probability" that it would be in the next two years.

The US assessment claims that any such CBRN attack would probably be "small-scale", incorporating relatively crude delivery means and easily produced or obtained chemicals, toxins or radiological substances.

Much of the evidence for these claims is drawn from documents, diagrams and other material found at around 40 sites in Afghanistan, where al-Qaida operated training camps for its militants.

PTI