Austrian nuclear chief pleads for tighter security

The UN atomic agency’s chief today urged world leaders to act quickly to safeguard radioactive materials, pleading for governments to impose stringent new controls to avert nuclear catastrophe.

Citing new fears of nuclear terrorism in wake of the September 11 attacks, Mohamed El Baradei, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said at a special safety conference that nations must secure radioactive materials before terrorist networks obtain them.