Terror outfits, particularly al-Qaeda, are using gambling websites to launder money and train potential terrorists in Britain without them having to risk travelling to camps in Pakistan, a media report said today.

Terrorism [Images] experts warned the security services that the Internet is increasingly being used to train terrorists and raise money and has become the primary medium for promoting radical Islam.

Quoting security sources, The Daily Telegraph today reported that they are fighting a new battle against al-Qaeda on the Internet.

Al-Qaeda [Images] wants to create an "online university of jihad" that is recruiting and training potential terrorists in Britain without them having to risk travelling to camps in Pakistan, they said.

The terrorist network has also used computer experts to develop encryption software, known as 'Mujahideen Secrets 2', to allow militants to communicate by email without fear of interception by intelligence services.

Speaking at a select conference on the terrorist threat to Britain, experts from Jane's Intelligence Group, said an online community was growing with younger and more impressionable people inadvertently sponsoring terrorism.

Terry Pattar, a specialist in counter-terrorism with Jane's Strategic Advisory Services, said: "Al-Qaeda want to create a university of jihad online, both in a spiritual and financial sense.

"They want a community that can carry out attacks without having to travel abroad for training."

Pattar said Internet had been used to raise funds for Afghan terrorists and online gambling sites had been used to launder the money.

Youngsters are invited on to security-protected areas after they have been recruited by "proving themselves on online forums".

Analysts are encouraging moderate Muslims to enter the online discussion sites to dismiss the extremists' arguments that gain popularity among the young. 

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