|
Nuclear material nicked
24/02/2002 09:27 - (SA)
Washington - An undetermined amount of weapons-grade nuclear material has
been stolen in post-Communist Russia, heightening concerns that
some of it could have ended up in the wrong hands, the US
intelligence community has concluded.
The announcement comes amid warnings by top US officials that
Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda terrorist network have been making
a concerted effort to obtain the know-how and materials to
manufacture a crude nuclear or radiological device.
"We also believe that bin Laden was seeking to acquire or
develop a nuclear device," Central Intelligence Agency Director
George Tenet told congress earlier this month. "Al-Qaeda may be
pursuing a radioactive dispersal device - what some call a 'dirty
bomb'."
In his testimony, the CIA director refrained from disclosing
where al-Qaeda operatives could be shopping for such technology.
But the National Intelligence Council, in its annual report to
congress made public late on Friday, gave a strong warning that
despite foreign assistance and its own efforts to heighten
security, Russia still represented a serious nuclear proliferation
risk.
'Undetected smuggling has occurred'
"Weapons-grade and weapons-usable nuclear materials have been
stolen from some Russian institutes," said the council, the
collective analytical think tank for the 13 agencies that make up
the US intelligence community.
"We assess that undetected smuggling has occurred, although we
do not know the extent or magnitude of such thefts," the report
said. "Nevertheless, we are concerned about the total amount of
material that could have been diverted over the last 10 years."
A total of 23 attempts to steal fissile materials have been
uncovered and thwarted in Russia between 1991 and 1999, according
to the document.
The problem remains how many smugglers made off with particles
of plutonium or enriched uranium - a hot commodity on the black
market - without being detected.
"Russian facilities housing nuclear materials typically receive
low funding, lack trained security personnel, and do not have
sufficient equipment for securely storing nuclear materials," the
council said. - Sapa-AFP
|
