"Ukraine catch man at airport with uranium"

Wednesday, March 2, 2005

Ukraine Secret Service Seizes Uranium at Airport

  
KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's SBU security service arrested a man at Kiev's
airport who had a case containing radioactive uranium-238 in his car, the
Emergencies Ministry said Tuesday. 

It said the man was detained at Boryspil airport, Ukraine's main
international gateway, with 582 grams of uranium. It did not say when the
arrest took place or whether he had been attempting to leave the country. 

"SBU officers detained the person who was moving a case with a radioactive
substance -- Uranium-238 -- in his car," the ministry said in a statement.
It said ministry specialists had seized the case. 

A ministry official said an investigation had been launched. SBU officials
were not immediately available for comment. 

Depleted uranium, where uranium-238 is normally found, can theoretically be
used to make nuclear "dirty bombs," but it is often used in gun ammunition
and armor because of its high density. 

Ukraine gave up its share of the Soviet nuclear arsenal after independence
in 1991 but remains home to some of Europe's largest nuclear power stations.
The country is trying to strengthen security and border controls as it now
borders three member states of the enlarged European Union. 

Eastern Europe's vast pool of nuclear technology is of major concern to the
United States and the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, as it remains open to
theft and black market trade.


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