UK man arrested, terrorism bribe

Source: herald sun

• February 14, 2011 12:54AM
   
  Serious threat: The national police spokeswoman said investigators could not release details on the biological agent involved, but considered it a "very serious threat." Picture: Craig Greenhill Source: News Limited

  S AFRICAN police arrested a 64-year-old man on terrorism charges for threatening to deploy a biological weapon.
  

  "The suspect repeatedly, through letters and emails, demanded an amount of $4 million in exchange for not deploying a biological agent within the borders of the United Kingdom," the national police force said in a statement.
  "This biological agent, if deployed, would have caused the destruction of property and resulted in major economic loss."
  National police spokeswoman Sally de Beer said investigators could not release details on the biological agent involved, but the statement said police considered it a "very serious threat."
  A similar threat had also been made against the United States, police said.
  The arrest followed a six-month investigation by South African and British police and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, the statement said.
  The man was arrested Saturday morning near the small resort town of Hartbeespoort in South Africa's North West province, and will appear in court Monday, police said.