FBI in SA for nuclear probe

2004-02-12 22:07

Johannesburg - A US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) team are in South Africa to continue a probe of an illegal nuclear technology network involving a Cape Town-based businessman currently out on bail in Colorado, police said on Thursday.

Senior Superintendent Mary Martins-Engelbrecht said the FBI team have had talks with Cape police regarding the alleged activities of former Israeli army officer Asher Karni.

"They had earlier requested our help. I cannot say any more because it is essentially their investigation and it is going on," she said.

Karni was arrested in Denver, Colorado, on January 2 and charged with trying to smuggle 66 nuclear weapon detonators to Pakistan through his South African company, Top-Cape Technology.

Karni was later granted bail and released into custody of a rabbi. If convicted, he could spend the next 10 years in a US prison.

Media reports said he was arrested in a FBI sting operation after a tip-off by a South African business associate.

- SAPA