The Scorpions have arrested one person in a case involving the contravention of laws on weapons of mass destruction and on nuclear energy, spokesperson Sipho Ngwema said on Thursday. He would not comment further except to say: "The National Prosecutions Agency was involved in an operation this morning which involved the arrest of one person." Abdul Minty, chair of the South African Council For the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction said on Thursday: "There has (also) been a recovery of items alleged to have been used in the contraventions."
He said enquiries were being made into the activities of "some companies and individuals, who may be involved". "In the context of these investigations, the South African authorities have co-operated with their counterparts in other countries as well as with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)." Minty said that since 1994 the government had adopted a strict policy of disarmament and non-proliferation with regard to weapons of mass destruction and the capabilities to produce these weapons. Foreign affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said he didn't know of any link between the inquiry and al-Qaeda or international terrorism. |