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| Europe |
| Police fear Balkan mafia eager to sell A-bomb materials to Iran |
| 2005-09-26 |
| Via FrontPage Iranâs quest to become a nuclear power has galvanised the Balkan mafias, security sources have warned following the discovery of potentially lethal nuclear enrichment mat erial in the region. Last week, Bulgarian customs officials prevented a car from crossing into Romania after discovering 3.5kg of hafnium, a metallic element that is used in the nuclear enrichment process and which could potentially be employed in the manufacture of radioactive âdirty bombsâ. According to General Veleri Petrov, the Bulgarian police chief, the hafnium consignment, discovered at the Ruse border crossing point, was destined for a Romanian mafia with Middle Eastern connections. One Bulgarian and three Romanian nationals in the car were arrested. A Bulgarian police spokes man said the consignment of the rare metal was concealed on the person of the Bulgarian driver of the car. On its own, hafnium is not radioactive. The consignment was âvirtually 100% pureâ and suitable for use in nuclear reactors as a control material. Apart from its use in the nuclear industry, hafnium can also be transformed into a powerful explosive â one gram of hafnium having the potential, after sophisticated and expensive treatment, to emit gamma rays equivalent in power to 50 kilos of TNT. Because of this it is highly sought after by Middle Eastern terrorist armourers. Hafnium is difficult and very expensive to refine. Bulgaria does not possess the technology to produce pure hafnium, the spokesman said, adding that the origin of the consignment was unknown. But, clearly, money is no object for the shadowy end-users . The Sunday Herald has learned from Romanian sources that an Arab-dominated Bucharest mafia was the intermediary in the hafnium deal. The sources could not give the intended final destination of the consignment, but the âworking hypothesisâ of Balkan police forces is that âit is linked to Iranâs nuclear questâ. Then again, there are always al-Qaeda armourers keen to buy dirty bomb material. Professor Marina Nizamska, head of the Bulgarian Atomic Energy Commissionâs special measures department, said hafnium, though not radioactive, is on the UNâs proscribed list of double- purpose materials that have both military and civilian uses. It has special uses in making rockets and bombs, as well as in the manufacture of television tubes. Rest at link. |
| Posted by:ed |