British and American special forces held a secret training exercise last month to prepare for terrorist “dirty bomb” attacks on London landmarks, The Sunday Times revealed.

Bomb disposal experts from the SAS and Special Boat Service (SBS) worked with elite operators from the American military’s Delta Force and Navy Seals and the FBI.

The aim was to test how security forces would cope if faced with a new generation of complex improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

During the exercise up to 10 four-strong teams raced to defuse bombs packed with “notional” high explosives, chemicals and radioactive material that, if real, had the potential to cause hundreds of casualties.

At least four venues in central London were used during the drill. The teams wore plain clothes and used civilian cars or public transport.

Source: MENA