Highly dangerous cargo discovered in London
Was confiscated uranium intended for a dirty bomb?
At the end of the year, a cargo of uranium was intercepted in London. The radioactive heavy metal came from Pakistan, addressed to Iranians. The British are on the hunt for them – and determine if the broadcast was intended for a dirty bomb.
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At the end of December, a highly dangerous cargo of undeclared uranium was confiscated at London’s main airport, Heathrow.
British anti-terrorist units have confiscated kilos of uranium at London’s Heathrow airport. The cargo posted in Pakistan was addressed to Iranians in the kingdom. The metal is not highly enriched, weapons-grade uranium. However, it could have been used for a so-called dirty bomb, according to the authorities. A dirty bomb is a device with conventional explosives and radioactive material attached.
The investigators are currently chasing all possible leads, as “The Sun” reports exclusively. Special scanners had discovered the potentially deadly heavy metal and raised an alarm. Flight handler Swissport was just in the process of moving the freight to a goods depot.
The investigators want to rule out that the uranium was intended to be used to build a dirty bomb. “There are real concerns about what the Iranians living here were doing with the undisclosed nuclear material,” the Sun quoted security sources as saying. “The search for everyone involved with this undeclared package is in full swing.”
amount unclear
The material was discovered on December 29 in the hold of a plane arriving from Oman. The border police cordoned off the place immediately and opened the freight shipment in a special room for radioactive materials. The case is now with Britain’s counter-terrorism agency.
Investigators are targeting an Iran-based company with offices in the UK. Investigations are ongoing as to who the recipients should be. There have not been any arrests yet.
The “Daily Mail” claims to have learned that the confiscated delivery “by the kilo” contained uranium. The London police, on the other hand, spoke of a “very small amount of contaminated material”. (kes)