LONDON, Oct 9: Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network probably has its own chemical and biological weapons, a British foreign office minister said on Tuesday.

“We know that the Al Qaeda network has been trying to get hold of biological and chemical weapons for the last 10 years,” Ben Bradshaw said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“We believe they’ve probably got some,” he added, warning that the organization would not hesitate to use them.

While stressing that there was no evidence that Britain was under threat from the weapons, he warned: “We do not doubt their will to use these weapons if they’re given an opportunity.”

In the wake of the Sept 11 terrorist onslaught on US targets, concerns over an imminent strike by biological or chemical weapons of mass destruction have intensified.—AFP