ISIS Working on Weaponizing Self-Driving Cars, NATO Expert Warns

Islamic State technicians are working to produce driverless car bombs, a NATO security expert has warned.

Such a vehicle could drive itself into big cities and set off explosives when it reaches its pre-determined destination. The development could potentially eliminate the need for suicide bombers. ISIS is said to be producing the technology at its unofficial headquarters in Raqqa, Syria.

Jamie Shea, NATO deputy assistant secretary general for emerging security threats, says the terror group is using its “technical expertise” to “play around” with driverless car bombs. In media reports, ISIS members have been seen driving pickup trucks, although we don’t know what type of vehicle ISIS is working on.

“We are focusing very much on…Raqqa at the moment, where ISIL [ISIS] has its bomb making factory,” Shea said, reports the Daily Express. “It is not just Google that is producing the autonomous car, ISIS is also trying to do the same.”

Driverless cars are expected to roll out in the next few years, raising concerns around the world that ISIS could take advantage of the emerging technology. Not only that, but several recent hacking experiments have revealed vulnerabilities in vehicle software as we move toward an age of connected cars. Last year, two hackers tapped into a Jeep Cherokee as it was traveling across the highway in a controlled experiment, for instance.

Most major automakers have a plan in place for bringing self-driving cars to reality. A number of semi-autonomous features are already on the market, including auto steer, auto braking, and auto parking technologies.

Source: Daily Express

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