Russian gangs have been trying to sell nuclear material to ISIS
- 9 years ago
CHISINAU, MOLDOVA-- According to an Associated Press investigation, a thriving nuclear black market has risen in Eastern Europe amidst the growing rift between Russia and the West. AP reports that the FBI and Moldovan authorities have thwarted four attempts by Russia-linked gangs in Moldova to sell nuclear materials to Muslim extremists.
The most serious case happened in 2011 when Teodor Chetrus, a former KGB informant with a long-held hatred for the West, was caught arranging the selling of bomb-grade uranium-235 to who he thought was a Middle Eastern buyer.
Chetrus discussed selling 10 kilograms of U-235, a fifth of the amount of uranium used to bomb Hiroshima, Japan during World War II.
In the most recent case which happened earlier this year, another smuggler, Valentin Grossu, tried to sell enough uranium caesium to demolish several city blocks to the Islamic State at a high-class nightclub in Moldova. The man Grossu thought was an ISIS representative was actually an informant working for the FBI and the Moldovan authorities.
While the FBI and the Moldovan authorities have orchestrated several successful sting operations, a serious flaw in the anti-smuggling efforts by Moldovan police is that smuggling rings are raided early-on in the nuclear deals, giving kingpins the chance to escape with their nuclear material supplies.
AP found that in the few cases where kingpins were captured, some got away with short prison sentences and resumed nuclear smuggling upon their release.
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The most serious case happened in 2011 when Teodor Chetrus, a former KGB informant with a long-held hatred for the West, was caught arranging the selling of bomb-grade uranium-235 to who he thought was a Middle Eastern buyer.
Chetrus discussed selling 10 kilograms of U-235, a fifth of the amount of uranium used to bomb Hiroshima, Japan during World War II.
In the most recent case which happened earlier this year, another smuggler, Valentin Grossu, tried to sell enough uranium caesium to demolish several city blocks to the Islamic State at a high-class nightclub in Moldova. The man Grossu thought was an ISIS representative was actually an informant working for the FBI and the Moldovan authorities.
While the FBI and the Moldovan authorities have orchestrated several successful sting operations, a serious flaw in the anti-smuggling efforts by Moldovan police is that smuggling rings are raided early-on in the nuclear deals, giving kingpins the chance to escape with their nuclear material supplies.
AP found that in the few cases where kingpins were captured, some got away with short prison sentences and resumed nuclear smuggling upon their release.
-------------------------------------------------------------
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