WikiLeaks releases list of global sites 'vital' to US

WikiLeaks has divulged a secret list compiled by Washington of key infrastructure sites around the world that could pose a critical danger to US security if they come under terrorist attack.

The newly released diplomatic cable is one of the most explosive yet out of many leaked by the whistle-blowing website that have heaped embarrassment on Washington and caused anger around the world.

A State Department cable from February 2009 asked US missions to update a list of infrastructure and key resources worldwide whose loss "could critically impact" the country's public health, economic life and national security.

It details undersea cables, key communications, ports, mineral resources and firms of strategic importance in countries ranging from Britain to New Zealand, via Africa, the Middle East and China.

A Canadian hydroelectric plant is described as a "critical irreplaceable source of power to portions of Northeast US," while a Siemens factory in Germany does "essentially irreplaceable production of key chemicals".

Also listed are European manufacturers of vaccines for smallpox and rabies, an Italian maker of treatment for snake-bite venom, and a German company making treatment for plutonium poisoning.

According to the diplomatic cable, the request was designed "to strengthen national preparedness, timely response, and rapid recovery in the event of an attack, natural disaster or other emergency".

Compilation of the list would help "prevent, deter, neutralise or mitigate the effects of deliberate efforts by terrorists to destroy, incapacitate or exploit" sites deemed of "vital" importance to the United States.

Britain was quick to condemn release of the list as "damaging to national security".

The cable includes the British locations of undersea cables, satellite systems and defence plants.

"We unequivocally condemn the unauthorised release of classified information," a spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron's Downing Street office said Monday.

The release will add to the political storm engulfing WikiLeaks and its 39-year-old founder Julian Assange, who broke cover on Friday to say in an online chat that he had boosted his security after receiving death threats.

The website is already battling to secure its avenues for financial donations online, and has been hop-scotching across servers and legal jurisdictions to evade a total shutdown.

Facing repeated cyber-attack, Wikileaks has moved to ensure its information remains available. Mirror websites, which replicate WikiLeaks's data, have sprung up on servers in various countries.