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NEWS > EVERYONE ELSE > RUSSIA SEIZES NUCLEAR MATERIAL BOUND FOR IRAN AND SENDS IT ON IT’S WAY
RUSSIA SEIZES NUCLEAR MATERIAL BOUND FOR IRAN AND SENDS IT ON IT’S WAY
December 17 2011
Moscow, Russia – For decades now one of the biggest fears shared by global powers has been the relatively lax security procedures at nuclear facilities around the world. Arguably a bigger threat than any nuclear empowered nation, particularly with the global reach that terrorism now enjoys, the casual distribution of nuclear material has only become more and more problematic as the technology has spread to other nations.
The one country which has posed the most serious concerns has often been Russia, or more specifically the former Russian supplies in smaller nations bordering the country. In the early days of the Soviet break-up there was a great deal of confusion over where exactly all their nuclear material had gone, and while most of that has been accounted for at this stage, concerns still exists that some rogue scientists could well sneak out material and sell it to the highest bidder.
That, in turn, has forced Russia to maintain an aggressive stance in trying to track down any potential leaks of fissile goods, not only to protect their own borders, but also to ensure that foreigners simply stay out of their business. Some have been critical of their efforts, but with the capture of suitcase full of radioactive material bound for Iran on Friday, it is hoped that those critics will be quieted. The traveler, once his destination was determined, was allowed to go on with his package.
“We determined that the individual we had detained had 18 pieces of radioactive material in his suitcase. That material was sodium-22, which is primarily used in medical equipment. Once we were able to determine his identity and his destination, the passenger was allowed to continue on,” said a spokesperson for the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow. “He assured us that he was only transporting the material for peaceful purposes and that is why he was allowed to continue to his destination.”
Officials confirmed that the man’s plane did land in Tehran, but they lost track of him shortly after that.
That quantity of sodium-22 is not enough to create a nuclear bomb by itself, but it doesn’t hurt.
“The good news here is that the Russians are obviously keeping an eye on this stuff. A lot of those concerns about their lax security is, frankly, a little prejudicial. In the early days of the break-up nukes were everywhere, like just free for the picking, and they have had trouble shaking that reputation,” said Scrape TV Atomic analyst Mikhail Simpson. “I mean you lose a nuclear bomb or two and people never let you forget it. It just keeps going on and on and even when you prove yourself, they keep up with that nonsense.”
Officially, Russia has recovered all misplace nuclear bombs from those early days.
“It’s perhaps not the best idea to allow this material, after it is found, to continue onto its destination. I mean that’s part of the reason you watch and track the stuff in the first place, and that is something the Russians are certainly going to have to work on, the follow-up,” continued Simpson. “That said, it will take a whole lot of this particular material to create anything destructive and he did say it was being used for peaceful purposes, and sometimes you just need to take people on their word. Especially when they are carrying nuclear material. That stuff is dangerous. Scary.”
Officials did confirm that the passenger did end up paying an extra baggage fee because of the weight of the nuclear material, and some pies he was bringing home to his family.
Emil Uliya, International Correspondent
NEWS > EVERYONE ELSE > RUSSIA SEIZES NUCLEAR MATERIAL BOUND FOR IRAN AND SENDS IT ON IT’S WAY
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