Militairen simuleren nucleaire aanval Al-Qaida op Brussel (en)

A simulation "war game" carried out earlier this week by staff from the European military and their US counterparts has revealed the extent of destruction that would be caused by a nuclear bomb in Brussels.

"40,000 dead on the spot, 300,000 injured. A radiation cloud spreads over Belgium, Northern France, the Netherlands and Germany, bringing terror and death. The old continent plunged into chaos", is the doomsday scenario painted by the simulation, according to French daily Le Figaro.

The simulation presupposes that terrorist group Al-Qaeda had managed to procure enriched uranium from nuclear research facilities in Eastern Europe and built a 10 kilotonne bomb.

The war game - named "black dawn" was attended by senior military personnel and the EU's high representative for foreign policy Javier Solana.

The conclusion drawn after these simulations, according to Le Figaro, is that once a group like Al-Qaeda has got hold of such materials, the military are then powerless to stop them. Preventing them acquiring nuclear products is therefore the priority.