archive: U.K. customs seizes N-material bound for Pak
U.K. customs seizes N-material bound for Pak
PTI
The Times of India
July 26, 1999
Title: U.K. customs seizes N-material bound for Pak
Author: PTI
Publication: The Times of India
Date: July 26, 1999
In a major swoop, British customs officials have intercepted and
seized 20 tonnes of key components, vital for making missile casings
and nuclear warheads, bound for Pakistan.
The shipment, tracked from U.S. to Kent in the United Kingdom last
week coincided with a period of heightened tension between India and
Pakistan sparked off by intrusion of Pakistani troops into Kargil.
The Sunday Express said quoting experts that the shipment was part of
Pakistan's massive clandestine efforts to beef up its nuclear arsenal
for any confrontation with India.
The cargo was confiscated by British customs at Thames port on the
Isle of Grain in Kent, before it could be transferred to a ship bound
for West Asia, the paper said.
Documents accompanying the cargo were purported to show it was
destined for Dubai but British and American intelligences sources said
it's ultimate destination was Pakistan, the paper said.
Intelligence sources said the material was compiled from different
points within the U.S. Three people, all U.K.-based Pakistani
nationals, were arrested in this connection several weeks ago but
later released without any charges.
British customs, who got the seized material verified by experts, said
last night it was unclear whether the cargo included any fissile
material such as enriched uranium or plutonium, but said part of it
included high-grade aluminium used in making nuclear weapons.
The paper said officers from the national investigation service had
arrested three persons in connection with the clandestine nuclear
cargo. All the three, believed to be linked to a West London
import-export company which arranged the shipment papers, were
released after questioning.
The Sunday Express quoted experts to say that the aluminium found in
the shipment was vital for making missile casings and was used as a
component in solid state propellant fuel because of its high tensile
strength. Besides, it was essential in making centrifuges used to
enrich uranium for nuclear warheads.
The paper said American intelligence sources, which had been
monitoring the passage of the material, tipped off the British
intelligence agency which organised the raids in the Kent container
warehouse.
Customs officials said they seized the cargo because of suspicions
that it was intended for military use and therefore required an export
licence. Britain in the wake of nuclear tests by India and Pakistan
has invoked sanctions for a ban on export of any nuclear material to
the two countries.
The British paper said the suspicions of the customs officials had
been reinforced by experts who said the material was of such a high
grade that it was more likely to be used in military applications than
for commercial purposes.
The newspaper quoted an American nuclear expert to state, "High-grade
aluminium can be seriously useful in uranium enrichment programmes and
for making nuclear missiles."
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