Terrorists could use Ebola to kill thousands warfare experts warn

UK: Terrorists could use Ebola to kill thousands of Britons, a secret study by germ warfare experts has revealed.

Documents marked “UK Secret Eyes Only” show the MoD has studied three ways the virus could be used as a weapon in the UK.

The investigation was carried out at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down in Wiltshire.

The study followed a request for guidance on “the feasibility and potential impact of a non-state actor exploiting the Ebola outbreak in West Africa for bioterrorism”.

Less than two weeks after the assessment last October the Government ordered screening of passengers at Heathrow airport.

Terror experts at MI5 aim to block any effort to “weaponise” Ebola, which is spread by body fluids. An edited version of the study has emerged after a freedom of information request.

The documents reveal experts believe it would be hard for a terror group to use Ebola without the backing of a government.

They say: “This scenario would be logistically and ­technically challenging for a non-state group.”

They add: “There are ­practical issues with such a scenario that of themselves are often not insurmountable but taken together add enormously to the complexity of successfully undertaking this attack.”

The only line left on a third scenario says: “This scenario ­constitutes the most ­technically challenging.”

The revelation of the difficulty of weaponising Ebola will ease fears that al-Qaeda or Islamic State could use it.

The MoD edited the document because it “contains details whose disclosure would prejudice the capability and effectiveness of our forces and safety of UK citizens”.

Expert Dr Peter Walsh has said Ebola could be used in a bomb.