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| Judge orders release of man charged with smuggling nuclear triggers | |
| 2004-01-29 | |
An Israeli businessman accused of smuggling nuclear weapon triggers to Pakistan can be released while he awaits trial, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. Prosecutors had asked that Asher Karni be held without bail. But U.S. District Court Chief Judge Thomas Hogan allowed him to be released under strict conditions, with Karni agreeing to waive his immunity from extradition from Israel or South Africa, to pay a $100,000 bond and to be electronically monitored while he stays in Maryland.
Humm, haven’t seen a lot of reports of a massive kidney stone problem in Pakiland. Of course, that would explain a lot of the seething and making faces. Court documents say Karni tried to buy 200 of the devices from a Massachusetts maker to send to Pakistan even after the company told him the deal would require a U.S. export license. Exporting spark gaps to Pakistan without a license is illegal. Court records say Karni used a series of front companies and misleading shipping documents to buy the devices from a Massachusetts company, have them sent through New Jersey to South Africa, then on to the United Arab Emirates and later to Pakistan. What Karni didn’t know, a federal officer said in an affidavit, was that authorities had intervened and had the manufacturer sabotage the devices so they couldn’t be used. Well, someone used their brains. Pakistani officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the country’s nuclear scientists relied on the black market to supply Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program and spread the technology to countries such as Iran and Libya. The father of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program, Abdul Qadeer Khan, and other nuclear scientists are under investigation for possibly breaking Pakistani law. It’s been in all the papers. Karni’s Denver lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, did not return a telephone message left Wednesday. Hogan ordered Karni to stay at the Hebrew Sheltering Home in suburban Silver Spring, Md., under Rabbi Herzel Kranz’s supervision. Don’t ask why, I have no idea either unless the Rabbi works for the Mossad. Say, now you don’t think...... Karni cannot have a connection to the Internet and must pay for his electronic monitoring device, Hogan ruled. No surfing porn for you. Karni heads Top-Cape Technology in Cape Town, South Africa, which trades in military and aviation electronic gear. In his recent statement to federal court, Commerce Department Special Agent James Brigham charged that Karni had an elaborate scheme to try to circumvent U.S. export restrictions to Pakistan and ship the triggers. Brigham said an anonymous source in South Africa tipped off U.S. authorities and provided shipping details to allow tracking of the devices, plus copies of correspondence to and from Karni. Ouch, no wonder his lawyer ain’t talking. Spark gaps can be used in machines called lithotripters to break up kidney stones, but even the largest hospital would need only a half-dozen or so, experts say. Large orders raise red flags with nuclear experts. | |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #5 Faisal - every time I hope for something decent out of your piehole, you disappoint me - I bet your parents feel the same way |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-1-29 10:05:45 PM |
| #4 Hmmm.... i guess it's time to inspect mama israel. IAEA should focus it's eyes on mama isreal. |
| Posted by: Faisal 2004-1-29 4:45:58 PM |
| #3 Equally important,John,the reliability of all triggers from that maunfacturer are now suspect. So they'll have to be completely field tested or discarded. |
| Posted by: Gasse Katze 2004-1-29 3:10:12 PM |
| #2 Hey, doesn't bin Laden have a kidney problem? Maybe that's why these triggers were being shipped to Pakistan. Maybe al Qaeda isn't really interested in WMD -- they just want al Zawahiri to be able to treat bin Laden's kidney ailment. It's a humanitarian purchase, really. |
| Posted by: Tibor 2004-1-29 3:07:24 PM |
| #1 Any bets a few of those triggers showed up in Libya, which mean more than a few were resold to Iran? They don't work? What a scam! Bwhahahahah! |
| Posted by: john 2004-1-29 2:16:02 PM |