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Two dirty bomb incidents have occurred recently in the former Russian Republic of Georgia and in Thailand. Law Enforcement in the US should be aware of these incidents as they underscore the threat that dirty bomb material could be smuggled into the US. US officials and the FBI have warned Law Enforcement a number of times during the past several months that a dirty bomb or chemical attack in the US is likely, possibly within the next two years.
In the former Russian Republic of Georgia, authorities have found highly radioactive material that could be used in a “dirty” bomb and a container of lethal Mustard Gas in a taxi in the capital Tbilisi. Police found two metal boxes stuffed with radioactive by-products of nuclear fission, Cesium-137 and Strontium-90. One container, inscribed in Russian and English, weighed at least 170 lb. A separate container had Mustard Gas, or Yperite, an odorless chemical used in World War I and which can be lethal in small quantities. “It is likely that the containers were intended to be transported on to Turkey and to be resold,” police spokesman Givi Mgebrishvili said at a news conference.
Authorities in Thailand have arrested an individual for trafficking enriched, or weapons-grade, uranium in Asia. In October 2002, Homeland Security agents based in Bangkok, Thailand, received information about the potential sale of dirty bomb materials. Department of Homeland Security agents immediately began working with the Royal Thai Police and the U.S. Embassy on an investigation into this matter. From October 2002 through June 2003, Homeland Security agents in Bangkok coordinated closely with the Royal Thai Police in a series of undercover meetings with the suspects involved in this operation.
As a result of these meetings, a sample material was obtained by undercover officers from the Royal Thai Police. The sample was then tested by the Thai Atomic Energy Commission. Preliminary analysis determined that the substance was in fact, Cesium-137. Homeland Security agents and Royal Thai Police then arranged another meeting with the suspects in order to discuss future transactions of these materials. At that meeting, on June 13, Royal Thai Police arrested the suspect, Narong Penanam.
Dirty bombs combine conventional explosives with radioactive material. They may not cause more casualties than a conventional blast, but the threat of radioactive contamination would likely create widespread panic.
Source: Informed Source; Reuters