Al-Qa'ida threatens cyber-jihad

Al-Qa'ida is pressing followers to mount a "cyber-jihad" against the West following Osama bin Laden's death, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, warned yesterday.

Publishing the Government's new counter-terror strategy, she also said extremists were using Internet tools such as Street View to plot attacks. Mrs May said the danger was judged to be at its lowest level since the September 11 attacks. But she warned of a threat from groups in Yemen and Somalia, as well as from "lone wolves", of massive attacks designed to paralyse computer systems.

The strategy said: "Since the death of Osama bin Laden, al-Qa'ida has explicitly called not only for acts of lone or individual terrorism, but also for 'cyber-jihad'."