Black market sellers of weapons-grade nuclear material have been actively seeking out buyers from the Islamic State (ISIS).
And while international authorities were able to infiltrate and stop a potential sale, experts are warning that it could be a matter of time before a transaction is completed.
The Associated Press is reporting that four arrests have already been made in the former Soviet-controlled country of Moldova of suspected Russia-affiliated gangsters attempting to contact and sell nuclear weapons to the group. This means it could just be a matter of time before ISIS has at least enough material for a so-called “dirty bomb.”
Earlier this year, two men were caught plotting their deal at an unlikely spot: the terrace of Cocos Prive, a dance club and sushi bar in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.
“You can make a dirty bomb, which would be perfect for the Islamic State,” the smuggler said. “If you have a connection with them, the business will go smoothly.”
The previously unpublicized case is one of at least four attempts in five years in which criminal networks with suspected Russian ties sought to sell radioactive material to extremists through Moldova, an investigation by The Associated Press has found. One investigation uncovered an attempt to sell bomb-grade uranium to a real buyer from the Middle East, the first known case of its kind.
In that operation, wiretaps and interviews with investigators show, a middleman for the gang repeatedly ranted with hatred for America as he focused on smuggling the essential material for an atomic bomb and blueprints for a dirty bomb to a Middle Eastern buyer.
In wiretaps, videotaped arrests, photographs of bomb-grade material, documents and interviews, AP found that smugglers are explicitly targeting buyers who are enemies of the West. The developments represent the fulfillment of a long-feared scenario in which organized crime gangs are trying to link up with groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida – both of which have made clear their ambition to use weapons of mass destruction.
Informants and police posing as connected gangsters penetrated the smuggling networks, using old-fashioned undercover tactics as well as high-tech gear from radiation detectors to clothing threaded with recording devices.
But their successes were undercut by striking shortcomings: Kingpins got away, and those arrested evaded long prison sentences, sometimes quickly returning to nuclear smuggling, AP found.
Most of the operations arrests were made after samples of nuclear material had been obtained rather than the larger quantities. That means that if smugglers did have access to the bulk of material they offered, it remains in criminal hands.
The repeated attempts to peddle radioactive materials signal that a thriving nuclear black market has emerged in an impoverished corner of Eastern Europe on the fringes of the former Soviet Union. Moldova, which borders Romania, is a former Soviet republic.
Wiretapped conversations exposed plots that targeted the United States, the Moldovan officials said. In one case, a middleman said it was essential the smuggled bomb-grade uranium go to Arabs, said Malic, an investigator in all four sting operations.
“He said: ‘I really want an Islamic buyer because they will bomb the Americans.'”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
ISIS = CIA
If they get the bomb, it’s because the powers that be want them to have it so they can carry their plan. To enslave all of humanity in their One World Police state.
That is so ridiculous. As U.S. Intel (retired) I can say your’s is a fantasy. What has happened is weak men like Obama committed the same mistake we made with the Nazis at Munich when they entered a nuclear agreement with Iran. This quelled the opposition in Iran just like Munich quelled the opposition to Hitler in Germany. The Moldovan mob probably has access to a very small amount of lower grade isotopes. Their plan is to rip off ISIS. My concern is that Iranian Intel will manufacture a hundred smaller battlefield nuclear weapons, similar to our M-29 recoilless rifle round. The manufacture of these can be easily hidden under the nuclear deal and will be used against American interests. Examples of targets cane be; a cruise ship docking in a U.S. port. It can take out seven square blocks of a city, poison a reservoir etc. Our response will be over-the-top, calculated to wipe out the source of the attack, the Islamic enemy. Have a good day.
When you know that someone is intent on helping maniacs by providing material for a bomb of mass destruction, you don’t lock them up for a few years and then let them go free. Then they will continue doing what they were trying to do with an increased vigor and hatred against the west. You do what you would do if a mad dog was after you, not lock it up for awhile and hope it likes you because your so kind, you shoot it right between thhe eyes and eliminate the problem for good.
I would rather expect Israel to provide ISIS with one of its refurbished cores from the Bush famiy transaction and the Texas storage facility years ago. Blaming it on Iran and secondarily Russia would be the standard function of the Israeli game plan.
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/04/09/israels-addiction-to-nuclear-blackmail-and-terror/
We need to track down these black market sellers, seize their inventory, and kill them. The Russian government should help with this cause. The last thing Russia should want is for terrorist groups to begin detonating dirty bombs. Mr. Putin might find some of the bombs could be destined for Moscow.
Russian mafia are usually Jewish mafia, so no surprise at all that they are seeking (or pretending to seek) nuclear materials from them. That is so that Israel will not be directly implicated when ISIS detonates any nuclear device, though it will most likely be Israel who actually supplies iSIS with any such device.
Ou o ocidente intervem militarmente nos paises que estão enviando fugitivos para Europa, ou o mundo todo vai pagar um preço
muito alto. Intervention now!…
Nice answers in return of this issue with genuine arguments and describing everything about that.
Howdy! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading
through this post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept chatting about this.
I will forward this post to him. Fairly certain he will have a good
read. Thanks for sharing!
Just remember that VeteransToday.com IS NOT a website of American Veterans. This is what I found online regarding this website below: (not a credible source at all)
Readers Beware! http://www.veteranstoday.com is neither real nor are they satire!
They are alarmist conspiracists
. . . who have been labeled by multiple sources as anti-Semites1, Nazi-Sympathizers2, and all-around jerks3. If this were satire, then one could praise them for having taken Poe’s Law to the Nth level. (But it’s not satire and I doubt they are that clever.)
They also have a rather extensive list of editors, contributors, and staff that have been employed in some way in Palestinian, Chinese, Iranian, and/or Russian government or military. This is likely why there are few articles that question Palestine, China, Iran, or Russia. Clearly, the ‘veterans’ in the name does not refer to American military.
It’s hard to come by experienced people on this topic, however, you seem like you know what you’re talking about!
Thanks
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