'Highly dangerous' radioactive material stolen, sparking fears of Isis 'dirty bomb'

[Wiljor]

Iraq is searching for "highly dangerous" radioactive material stolen last year amid fears it could fall the hands of Isis jihadis.

The material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop, went missing from a US-owned storage facility in Basra last November, according to leaked environment ministry documents.

An unnamed senior security official with knowledge of the theft said: "We are afraid the radioactive element will fall into the hands of Daesh (Isis).

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"They could simply attach it to explosives to make a dirty bomb”.

The document, dated 30 November and addressed to the ministry’s Centre for Prevention of Radiation, describes "the theft of a highly dangerous radioactive source of Ir-192 with highly radioactive activity from a depot...in the Rafidhia area of Basra province".

An anonymous senior environment ministry official based in the city told Reuters the device contained up to 10 grams (0.35 ounces) of Ir-192 "capsules", a radioactive isotope of iridium also used to treat cancer.

Members of the Kurdish peshmerga forces were attacked by Isis using mustard gas in August last year

The material is classed as a Category 2 radioactive by the International Atomic Energy Agency - meaning it can be fatal to anyone in close proximity to it in a matter of days or even hours.

So far there is no indication that the material has fallen into the hands of Isis - who do not control this part of southern Iraq - but the group has begun using chemical weapons.

The terror group attacked Kurdish forces with mustard gas during a battle near Erbil, the capital of the Kurds’ autonomous region in Iraq, last August with around 35 soldiers being taken ill.

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It is believed to be the first time chemical weapons have been used in the country since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

A "dirty bomb" combines nuclear material with conventional explosives to contaminate an area with radiation, in contrast to a nuclear weapon, which uses nuclear fission to trigger a vastly more powerful blast.

A security official said the initial investigation suggested the perpetrators had specific knowledge of how to handle the material and how to gain access to the facility.

An Iraqi pro-government soldier standing in the ruins of Ramadi. Isis currently only controlled territory in the north and west of the country

There were "no broken locks, no smashed doors and no evidence of forced entry", he said.

An operations manager for Iraqi security firm Taiz, which was contracted to protect the facility, declined to comment, citing instructions from Iraqi security authorities.

A spokesman for Basra operations command, responsible for security in Basra province, said army, police and intelligence forces were working "day and night" to locate the material.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-radiation-idUSKCN0VQ22F

[yota691]

02/18/2016

 

Iraqi authorities are searching for a stolen radioactive material

 

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Engineers of Oil Company in Basra (archive)

 

 

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02/17/2016

Close to the Iraqi Ministry of the Environment showed that the authorities were looking for radioactive material "high-risk" were stolen last year, confirmed that seven security and local officials, have expressed their fears of the possibility of using these materials as a weapon if they fall into the hands of the organization of the Islamic state Daash.

The document, obtained by Reuters news agency that the material was placed in a bag the size of the laptop, and disappeared in November / November last from a storage facility near the city of Basra in the south of the country, belonging to the US company Weatherford oilfield services.

A spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Environment, said he "can not discuss it because of concerns about national security," while a spokesman for the company declined to Weatherford in Iraq comment, did not respond to the company's headquarters in Houston in the United States to repeated requests for comment.

A spokesman for the US State Department Mark Toner in a commentary on the report published by the agency that the ministry was aware of the loss of radioactive material from a warehouse in the city of Basra, referring to the lack of evidence of falling into the hands of elements of al-Daash or any other armed groups.

Toner said in an interview with reporters that the ministry takes the reports related to these radioactive materials very seriously, and is following the situation closely, refusing to comment on the possibility of using this material in a "dirty bomb" industry.

According to the document and assured officials, the company owned by the material (MSI. LG. MSI) and the Turkish headquarters in Istanbul. This material is used gamma rays to test defects in materials used for piping oil and gas through a process called industrial gamma-ray imaging.

An official in the company (MSI. LG. MSI) in Iraq comment, did not respond to the company's headquarters on the telephone conducted by Reuters.

And talking document, dated November 30, addressed to the prevention of radiation center of the Iraqi Ministry of the Environment for the theft of "high-risk radioactive source," which is "iridium 192," which is characterized by severe actively radioactivity from Odhirford warehouse in Basra province.

Said a senior official at the ministry told Reuters, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the subject, said that the device contains 10 grams of capsules "iridium 192," a radioactive isotope for "Iridium" is also used in cancer treatment.

And classified the International Atomic Energy Agency this article radiant as a source of the second degree, which means they may cause permanent injury to those approaching them for a few minutes or hours if it is not handled in an appropriate manner, and can cause the death of anyone exposed to them for hours or days.

It is determined by the extent of the damage that can happen based on factors such as the strength of the material and presented, which is unable to Reuters verified immediately. The document said Article pose a threat to human bodies and the environment as well as being a threat to national security.

Source: Reuters

 

[sandfly]

THANKS

[new york kevin]

Inside job, thats for sure. SOB's .

[jeepguy]

funny ,  they  put  the  items as , being in the u.s.  hands  , before missing !    

[SocalDinar]

They don't even need to get a bomb past customs. Blow up the container on a ship inside any US Harbor and they will shut every Port down. It would kill the World's economy.

 

We need this now!!!  https://str.llnl.gov/str/JanFeb04/Valentine.html

 

Thanks Wiljor

Edited February 18, 2016 by SocalDinar

[calkid11]

Thank you

[zzztop]

Why would there need to be any radioactive material in Iraq?  This sounds planned.

[SocalDinar]

Why would there need to be any radioactive material in Iraq?  This sounds planned.

There are lots of medical and industrial uses of Radioactive materiel's. Xrays. etc... I'm an electrical contractor and we sometimes install Radioactive Exit signs which must be registered with the Nuclear Regulatory commission.

[siberian_shaddow]

Who goes around and puts stuff like that into brief cases, then just sits it down, so some moron can come along and take it. Sounds like the old switch-a-roo brief case game, and someone just got paid.

Edited February 18, 2016 by siberian_shaddow

[yota691]

World | Sun Feb 21, 2016 7:56am EST

Related: WORLD

Missing radioactive material found dumped in south Iraq

BAGHDAD

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A sign indicating radioactive material is shown in Anaheim, California March 17, 2011.

REUTERS/LUCY NICHOLSON

 

A "highly dangerous" radioactive material that went missing in Iraq has been found dumped near a petrol station in the southern town of Zubair, environment ministry spokesman Ameer Ali told Reuters on Sunday.

Ali said the material had not been damaged and there were no concerns about radiation.

 

(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Isabel Coles; editing by Susan Thomas)

[gregp]

Bad day for a sand bandit. Woke up dizzy in his tent.

[DinarThug]

CNN. Broadcasting While Taking The Pictures Of The Missing Radioactive Material Off Of The Goats Milk Cartons In Baghdad!

Missing radioactive material found dumped in south Iraq

Reuters By Ahmed Rasheed

3 hours ago



View photo

By Ahmed Rasheed

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Radioactive material that went missing in Iraq has been found dumped near a petrol station in the southern town of Zubair, officials said on Sunday, ending speculation it could be acquired by Islamic State and used as a weapon.

The officials told Reuters the material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, was undamaged and there were no concerns about radiation.

Reuters reported last week that Iraq had been searching for the material since it was stolen in November from a storage facility belonging to U.S. oilfield services company Weatherford near the southern city of Basra.

It was not immediately clear how the device, owned by Swiss inspections group SGS, ended up in Zubair, around 15 km (9 miles) southwest of Basra.

"A passer-by found the radioactive device dumped in Zubair and immediately informed security forces which went with a special radiation prevention team and retrieved the device," the chief of the security panel within Basra provincial council, Jabbar al-Saidi, told Reuters.

"After initial checking I can confirm the device is intact 100 percent and there is absolutely no concern of radiation."

A security official close to the investigation said it had been established soon after the material was stolen that it was being kept in Zubair and controls had been tightened to prevent it being taken out of the town.

"After failing to take it out of the town, the perpetrators decided to dump it," the security official said. "I assure you it is only a matter of time before we arrest those who stole the radioactive device."

The material, which uses gamma rays to test flaws in materials used for oil and gas pipelines in a process called industrial gamma radiography, is owned by Istanbul-based SGS Turkey, according to the document and officials.

The material is classed as a Category 2 radioactive source by the IAEA, meaning that if not managed properly it could cause permanent injury to a person in close proximity to it for minutes or hours, and could be fatal to someone exposed for a period of hours to days.

SGS and Weatherford have both denied responsibility for the disappearance of the material last year.

http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-health-minis ... 05766.html

[TennesseeCherokee]

Case closed.....except finding those responsible for it's theft.