UN boss warns against using viruses as a biological weapon

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that terrorists can learn from pandemics such as the corona crisis to carry out bioterrorist attacks.

“The weaknesses and ill-preparedness exposed by this pandemic provide an insight into what a bioterrorist attack could look like, and also increase the potential risk,” he said at a virtual meeting of the UN Security Council yesterday.

“Non-governmental groups could access strains of viruses that could devastate communities around the world,” he said.

The fear of bio-terrorists is one of the eight threats to international stability that the Secretary General raised in the context of the corona crisis. This includes the risk of terror groups taking advantage of the crisis to strike because governments are distracted.

Guterres also pointed to human rights violations associated with the virus. “We see stigma and hate speech, as do right-wing extremists and other radical groups trying to take advantage of the situation,” he said.

Guterres also called on members of the Security Council to unite in the fight against the coronavirus and show solidarity. He received the support of the members of the Security Council.